Israel opened up a war on three fronts with major airstrikes on Houthi-controlled parts of Yemen on Sunday.
Huge explosions rocked the Red Sea state as Israel took revenge for missile attacks launched by the Iran-backed group.
“The explosions shook the city,” said reports from Hodeidah, with social media posts showing major blasts and what appeared to be extensive damage.
The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) confirmed the strikes, describing them as “extensive, intelligence-based aerial operation” involving dozens of aircraft.
“The targets included power plants and a seaport used to import oil, which were used by the Houthi terrorist regime to transfer Iranian weapons to the region, in addition to military supplies and oil,” said an IDF statement.
The Iranian-backed Houthis launched three ballistic missiles at southern and central Israel this month, together with several drones, at least two getting through air defences.
The terror group, who seized the Yemeni capital Sanaa in 2014 and is extensively funded and armed by Iran, has also harried shipping in the area for more than a year, all but closing the Suez Canal in what it calls a response to Israel’s war in Gaza.
Britain and the United States began an ongoing air campaign against Houthi targets in a bid to suppress attacks on shipping in January this year.
Israel struck Yemen directly for the first time in July in response to a Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv.
The latest strike on Yemen comes as Israeli officials briefed that there had been a “limited” ground incursion into southern Lebanon, involving special forces troops.
Israeli media also reported that tanks were being gathered on the Israeli side of the border, indicating a wider ground incursion may be imminent.
Israel’s official war aims now include returning some 60,000 citizens in the north to their homes along the border, something most analysts believe will not be possible without troops on the ground in southern Lebanon.
Hezbollah has continued to bombard Israeli border communities for nearly a year with over 8,000 projectiles launched since October 8, in allegiance with Iran-backed Hamas in Gaza following its invasion of Israel on October 7.
Adding Yemen to Lebanon and Gaza brings a clear third front to Israel’s war with Iran-backed enemies.
On Saturday night, Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, warned Iran and its proxies that it would respond to all future attacks on its territory
“If someone rises up to kill you, kill him first”, he said, adding: “There is no place in Iran or the Middle East that the long arm of Israel cannot reach.”
Yemen expert, Thomas Juneau, from the University of Ottawa, a former national defence analyst, said it is too early to assess the impact of the Israeli strikes on Houthi targets.
“Israel seems to want to send a message to the Houthis that any strikes on Israel will be met with strong counter-strikes. Israel has far more firepower than the Houthis, so it wants to signal to the Houthis that they will suffer a much greater cost,” he told The Telegraph.
The strikes in Yemen came as preparations were being made in Beirut for the burial of Hezbollah leader, Hassan Nasrallah, killed by an Israeli airstrike Friday.
There are fears that the funeral will stoke sectarian tensions in the Lebanese capital and possible wider conflict.
05:08 PM BST
That’s all for today
Thank you for following our live coverage. The latest developments from the day were:
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The Israeli army targeted a power plant and ports in Yemen in revenge for Houthi missile attacks, marking a fresh exchange in another front of the regional conflict. In a statement, the IDF said it had conducted a “large-scale air operation” with dozens of air force aircraft, including fighter jets and intelligence planes.
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The body of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah was recovered from the site of an Israeli air attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a day after his death was confirmed. The Israeli military said on Sunday the strike also “eliminated” more than 20 other members of the Lebanese armed group.
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Hezbollah confirmed that Nabil Kaouk, another of its senior leaders who had been tipped as one of Nasrallah’s successors, was killed in an Israeli airstrike. He is the seventh senior leader of the Lebanese militant group to be killed since Sept 20.
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Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said that the death of a senior Iranian general, killed alongside Nasrallah “will not go unanswered”.
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Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, authorised the military to reinforce its presence in the Middle East with “defensive” air-support capabilities and put other forces on a heightened readiness status, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
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Fourteen medics have been killed over the course of two days of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese health ministry said.
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Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati told reporters on Sunday that Israel’s intensifying attacks on the country may have displaced up to one million people.
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The World Food Programme launched an emergency operation to provide meals for one million people affected by the escalating conflict in Lebanon.
04:58 PM BST
Israel likely used US-made 2,000-pound bombs in Nasrallah strike
Israel probably employed US-made 2,000-pound munitions in its strike that killed Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah, according to a review of visuals released by the IDF.
Analysts who examined videos of the strike and its aftermath at The Washington Post’s request said the damage was consistent with the use of multiple 2,000-pound bombs.
04:46 PM BST
US Centcom involved in strikes, says Israeli official
Axios reports an Israeli official saying that the Israeli strikes on Yemen’s Hodeidah port was carried out with US Central Command (Centcom).
04:06 PM BST
Israel army says striking Houthi rebel targets in Yemen
The Israeli military said on Sunday it was striking several Houthi rebel targets in Yemen using dozens of aircraft.
“In a large-scale air operation today, dozens of Air Force aircraft, including fighter jets, refuelling planes, and reconnaissance aircraft, attacked military-use targets of the Houthi terrorist regime in the Ras Issa and Hodeida areas of Yemen,” military spokesman Captain David Avraham said in a statement to AFP.
03:53 PM BST
Pope Francis, asked about Israeli strikes, slams attacks that go ‘beyond morality’
Pope Francis, asked on Sunday about Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon that killed Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah as well as non-combatants, criticized military attacks that he said go “beyond morality”.
On the flight back to Rome from Belgium, the pontiff said countries cannot go “over the top” in using their military forces. “Even in war there is a morality to safeguard,” he said. “War is immoral. But the rules of war give it some morality.”
03:40 PM BST
Airstrikes launched at Yemen’s Hodeidah port
Airstrikes were launched at Yemen’s Hodeidah port on Sunday, with targets including fuel tanks, two sources at the port told Reuters.
Asked whether the Israeli military was carrying out an attack in Yemen, a military spokesperson declined to comment.
03:32 PM BST
Israel says striking more Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
The Israeli military said it was carrying out fresh strikes on Sunday targeting Hezbollah’s weapons storage facilities and infrastructure sites in Lebanon.
“Over the last few hours, IDF (military) fighter jets struck Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including launchers directed toward Israeli territory, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure sites,” the military said in a statement.
A separate statement later said it had hit approximately 45 Hezbollah targets in the area of Kafra in southern Lebanon.
Among those targets struck were weapons storage facilities and infrastructure sites belonging to the group, it said.
03:23 PM BST
Hezbollah says launched ‘rocket salvo’ towards north Israeli town
Hezbollah said on Sunday that it had targeted two north Israel locations including the town of Safed, an area it has fired at several times over the past week.
The Iran-backed group, whose leader Israel killed in an air strike on Friday, said its fighters launched a “rocket salvo” at Safed and a smaller location “in defence of Lebanon and its people and in response” to Israeli attacks on cities, villages and civilians.
03:15 PM BST
Pictures of the day
02:59 PM BST
Fourteen medics killed in two days of Israeli strikes, Lebanese ministry says
Fourteen medics have been killed over the course of two days of Israeli strikes, the Lebanese health ministry said in a statement.
02:53 PM BST
US boosts air support and hikes troops’ readiness to deploy for Middle East
Lloyd Austin, the US defence secretary, has authorised the military to reinforce its presence in the Middle East with “defensive” air-support capabilities and put other forces on a heightened readiness status, the Pentagon said on Sunday.
”(Austin) increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies,” Pentagon spokesman Air Force Major General Patrick Ryder said in a statement.
The statement did not detail what new aircraft would be deploying to the region.
“Secretary Austin made clear that should Iran, its partners, or its proxies use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take every necessary measure to defend our people,” Maj Gen Ryder added.
02:09 PM BST
Israeli strike kills senior figure in Lebanon’s Jama’a Islamiya, sources say
An Israeli strike on Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley on Sunday killed a senior figure in the Sunni Jama’a Islamiya group, Mohammad Dahrouj, two security sources told Reuters.
The group has fired rockets on Israel over the past year and Israel has previously conducted strikes targeting other leading figures from the group.
01:57 PM BST
Hezbollah confirms death of seventh senior leader
Hezbollah has confirmed that Nabil Kaouk, another of its senior leaders, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
The Israeli military said earlier Sunday that it had killed Kaouk in an airstrike the day before.
He is the seventh senior leader of the Lebanese militant group to be killed since Sept 20, including leader Hassan Nasrallah.
01:54 PM BST
Damage and rubble on site of Israeli strike that killed Hezbollah’s Nasrallah
01:46 PM BST
‘More than 20’ Hezbollah members killed alongside Nasrallah
The Israeli military said on Sunday the strike that killed Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah this week in Beirut also “eliminated” more than 20 other members of the Lebanese armed group.
“More than 20 other terrorists of varying ranks, who were present at the underground headquarters in Beirut located beneath civilian buildings, and were managing Hezbollah’s terrorist operations against the state of Israel, were also eliminated,” the military said in a statement.
01:44 PM BST
US military says killed 37 militants in separate Syria strikes
US forces conducted two separate strikes in Syria, killing 37 “terrorist operatives” including members of the Islamic State group and Al Qaeda affiliate Hurras al-Din, the military’s Central Command (Centcom) said Sunday.
A September 24 strike in northwest Syria killed nine “terrorist operatives,” including senior Hurras al-Din leader Marwan Bassam ‘Abd-al-Ra’uf, the US military said.
A September 16 strike in central Syria targeted an IS training camp and killed at least 28 people, including four senior leaders, the statement said. It did not identify the leaders.
The US military has around 900 troops in Syria as part of the international coalition against the Islamic State group. The coalition was established in 2014 to help combat the armed group, which had taken over vast swaths of Iraq and Syria.
01:21 PM BST
Blasts heard in vicinity of Syria’s Damascus, state news agency says
Blasts were heard in the vicinity of Syrian capital Damascus, state news agency SANA reported on Sunday, adding that an investigation was being conducted to establish the cause.
01:18 PM BST
IDF carries out ‘precise strike’ in Dahiya
The IDF said it had carried out a “precise strike” in Dahiya, the densely populated area south of Beirut where it assassinated Hassan Nasrallah on Friday.
01:07 PM BST
Israel army carrying out more strikes in Lebanon
The Israeli military said it was carrying out fresh strikes Sunday targeting Hezbollah’s weapons storage facilities and infrastructure sites in Lebanon.
“Over the last few hours, IDF (military) fighter jets struck Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including launchers directed toward Israeli territory, weapons storage facilities, and terrorist infrastructure sites,” the military said in a statement.
12:49 PM BST
Hezbollah confirms senior leader Ali Karaki killed in Israeli strike
Hezbollah confirmed on Sunday that its senior leader Ali Karaki was killed in an Israeli strike that targeted some of the group’s other senior figures including its chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Lebanon.
Karaki was a member of the group’s Jihad Council and the commander of the organisation’s southern front.
“[Karaki] was directly and on the ground responsible for leading the southern front with all its axes and units in the support front from 8 October, 2023, until his blessed martyrdom”, a statement from Hezbollah read announcing his death.
Karaki was the latest in a series of military commanders to be killed by Israel, leaving Hezbollah’s senior military leadership almost completely wiped out.
12:35 PM BST
Israeli military says it has dismantled a Hamas tunnel in central Gaza
The Israeli military says it has uncovered and dismantled a Hamas tunnel in central Gaza that was over a kilometer (0.6 miles) long.
It said Sunday that the tunnel ran near residential buildings, and that inside were several rooms and equipment used by militants for prolonged stays.
The military released footage showing the entrance to the tunnel, a long staircase leading down and what appeared to be an iron blast door.
Hamas is believed to have built hundreds of kilometers (miles) of tunnels across Gaza to evade Israeli airstrikes. The militants have also used the tunnels to hold hostages captured in the Oct 7 attack that triggered the war and to launch ambushes against Israeli forces.
12:17 PM BST
More on Iran vowing response to Israel’s killing of Guards general
Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi said Sunday that the death of a senior Iranian general, killed alongside Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli strike on Beirut, “will not go unanswered”.
Mr Araghchi’s remarks came two days after the Friday strike on Iran-backed Hezbollah’s bastion in the Lebanese capital that killed General Abbas Nilforoushan, a top commander of the Quds Force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps foreign operations arm.
“This horrible crime of the aggressor Zionist regime will not go unanswered,” the top diplomat said, according to a foreign ministry statement.
“The diplomatic apparatus will also use all its political, diplomatic, legal and international capacities to pursue the criminals and their supporters,” he added.
Iranian officials have strongly condemned the killing of Hezbollah chief Nasrallah, whose powerful Lebanese movement has been armed and financed by the Islamic republic for years.
On Sunday, Iran’s vice president for strategic affairs, Javad Zarif, said a response “will occur at the appropriate time and at Iran’s choice, and decisions will definitely be made at the leadership level, at the highest level of the state,” official news agency IRNA reported.
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who has the final say in all matters of state, has offered his condolences for Nasrallah’s “martyrdom” and declared five days of public mourning.
Iranians on Sunday took to the streets of several cities across the country to express their anger at the killings of the Guards’ Nilforoushan as well as Hezbollah’s Nasrallah.
The secretary of Iran’s guardian council, Ahmad Jannati, said Israel will “receive a forceful answer”, threatening with “the destruction of the Zionist regime,” according to Fars news agency.
12:05 PM BST
Body of Hezbollah leader has been recovered, sources say
The body of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has been recovered from the site of an Israeli air attack on Beirut’s southern suburbs, a day after his death was confirmed.
The Israeli military said it carried out a precise airstrike on Friday while Hezbollah leaders were meeting at their headquarters in Dahiyeh.
Nasrallah had led the group for more than 30 years and was a hugely influential figure in the region. His body is intact, sources told Reuters on Sunday, and it appeared the cause of death was blunt trauma from the force of the blast. His funeral is expected to be held soon.
The recovery of Nasrallah’s body came as Hezbollah confirmed the death of Ali Karaki, one of the armed group’s remaining top military commanders, and as the IDF said it had also “eliminated” Nabil Kaouk, who had been tipped as one of Nasrallah’s successors.
Hezbollah’s senior military leadership has now been almost completely wiped out since Israel escalated its attacks on Lebanon earlier this month.
11:51 AM BST
Pictures of the day
11:41 AM BST
Gaza death toll climbs to 41,595 Palestinians killed since Oct.7, ministry says
At least 41,595 Palestinians have been killed and 96,251 others injured in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza since Oct 7, the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry said on Sunday.
11:30 AM BST
Pope urges immediate ceasefire in ‘martyred’ Lebanon
Pope Francis called for an immediate ceasefire in “martyred” Lebanon and the wider Middle East on Saturday as he ended a three-day visit to Belgium.
“I call on all parties to immediately cease fire in Lebanon, Gaza, the rest of Palestine and Israel,” the Argentinian pontiff, 87, told an open-air mass in Brussels, as Israel continued to target the Hezbollah armed group in Lebanon.
11:18 AM BST
Fears Nasrallah’s death could tip Lebanon back into sectarian strife
There is a mood of grave apprehension in Beirut this morning. Not only is Lebanon still reeling from the ferocity of Israeli airstrikes, there is also concern that the death of Hassan Nasrallah could tip this deeply fragile country back into sectarian strife.
Streets in much of the Lebanese capital remain pretty deserted, with virtually all shops and cafés closed. “Due to the current situation this establishment will be closed until further notice… Stay safe,” reads one notice in a restaurant window in predominantly Christian eastern Beirut.
Lebanese soldiers took up positions yesterday on a bridge separating Christian districts from Shia Muslim ones, fearful that underlying tensions could spill over into violence. Shia Muslims were long marginalised in Lebanese society and they regarded Nasrallah not only as the leader of the resistance against Israel but as their domestic political champion.
Many are suspicious that Lebanon’s other sects – the Christians, the Druze and the Sunni Muslims – will somehow take advantage of Hezbollah’s disarray to sideline the movement. Lebanese Shia men made their feelings clear yesterday when they fired their weapons into the air across the city.
Non-Shia Lebanese interpreted this not just as a display of raw emotion, but a warning to others as well. Little wonder that, as Lebanon awaits Nasrallah’s funeral, the country feels so fraught. From 1975 to 1990, the country was mired in a vicious civil war fought on confessional lines and Lebanon’s traumatised people have always lived in fear of a repeat.
“I can’t remember the city feeling this on edge for years and years,” says Georges Tannous, a Lebanese Christian man as he unloaded shopping from the boot of his car in eastern Beirut. “We’ve been to stock up on supplies – just in case of the worst.”
11:06 AM BST
Lebanon says up to 1 million may be displaced by Israel attacks
Lebanon’s prime minister Najib Mikati told reporters on Sunday that Israel’s intensifying attacks on the country may have displaced up to one million people.
“The number of displaced people… could reach a million. Let’s not forget the large influx from the south and the Bekaa” region in Lebanon’s east, Mr Mikati said following an emergency cabinet meeting.
10:56 AM BST
Israeli strikes kill at least 4 people in Gaza Strip
Palestinian officials say Israeli strikes have killed at least four people in the Gaza Strip.
Two people were killed in separate strikes early Sunday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, according to the nearby Awda Hospital, which received the bodies. It said another six people were wounded.
In northern Gaza, first responders recovered two bodies after a strike on a house early Sunday, according to the Civil Defense, which operates under the Hamas-run government.
The Hamas-run health ministry says over 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israel-Hamas war, more than half of them women and children.
10:49 AM BST
Pictured: Israeli tanks deployed near border with Lebanon
10:44 AM BST
Killing of Iran’s Guards deputy commander in Lebanon ‘will not go unanswered’
Israel’s killing of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan in Lebanon “will not go unanswered”, Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araqchi said in a statement on Sunday.
Nilforoushan was killed during a meeting with the Hezbollah leader in Beirut on Friday. His death marks Iran’s most significant loss since April, when his predecessor, Mohammad Reza Zahedi, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Damascus.
In response to Zahedi’s death, Iran launched around 300 suicide drones and missiles at Israel.
10:38 AM BST
Government has contingency plans in place for evacuating British nationals
The Government has contingency plans in place for evacuating British nationals from Lebanon, but citizens should still try to leave the country on commercial flights, Pat McFadden has said.
He told the BBC: “This is a very serious situation right now.
“Our advice for some time now to British citizens in Lebanon is to leave now. There are commercial flights available, the Foreign Office is working with commercial airlines to make sure more are available.
“We will plan for every contingency but it is really important given the seriousness of the situation that British people in the area make what arrangements they can to leave now.”
He urged those British nationals still in Lebanon to register their presence with the Foreign Office and repeated the Government’s plea for a diplomatic solution to the conflict “no matter how difficult that sounds in the light of what’s happened in recent days”.
10:27 AM BST
‘We don’t know where to go’, says Syrian refugee displaced in Beirut
10:19 AM BST
Israel strikes ‘dozens of Hezbollah targets’
Israel said it was carrying out new air raids against “dozens” of Hezbollah targets in Lebanon on Sunday, pressing the Iran-backed group as it mourns its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
The Israeli military said its air force had “struck dozens of Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including launchers that were aimed toward Israeli territory, structures in which weapons were stored and additional Hezbollah terrorist infrastructure”.
10:13 AM BST
A missile falls in Jordan
Jordan’s military says a Grad missile fired from Lebanon fell in an open area without causing casualties or damage.
The missile was likely fired at Israel by Lebanon’s Hezbollah militant group, which has intensified its rocket attacks after its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday.
Jordan and Israel, which share borders, signed a peace treaty in 1994. The Western-allied Arab country also helped intercept missiles fired at Israel by Iran in April.
Jordan has been fiercely critical of Israel’s policies toward the Palestinians and has repeatedly called for a cease-fire in Gaza. It has also said it will not allow its territory to become a battlefield as tensions mount between Israel and Iran.
09:59 AM BST
Israeli airstrike kills 11 in northeast Lebanon
Lebanon’s state news agency says an Israeli airstrike early Sunday on a village in northeast Lebanon destroyed a home, killing 11 people.
Six of the bodies were recovered from under the rubble as the search continued for the remaining five in the village of al-Ain, reported National News Agency.
In southern Lebanon, the Islamic Risala Scout Association said five of its members were killed while performing their duties. It said four of the men killed were from the southern village of Tayr Debba while the fifth was from nearby Kabrikha.
More than 700 people have been killed in Lebanon since Sept. 23 when Israel intensified its airstrikes around the country forcing tens of thousands to flee their homes in south Lebanon, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut’s southern suburb known as Dahiyeh.
09:53 AM BST
Diplomatic efforts for ceasefire with Israel underway, Lebanese minister says
Lebanon’s Information Minister said during a cabinet session on Sunday that diplomatic efforts for a ceasefire with Israel were still “underway”.
09:47 AM BST
Pictured: People gather near assassination site of Hezbollah leader
09:40 AM BST
Potential Nasrallah successor ‘killed by Israel’
A senior Hezbollah figure, tipped as one of Hassan Nasrallah’s successors, has been killed in Lebanon, according to Israel’s military.
The Israeli military said on Sunday that it killed Nabil Kaouk, the deputy head of Hezbollah’s Central Council, amid an ongoing exchange of strikes between the two sides.
Kaouk had been tipped as one of Nasrallah’s potential successors after playing a pivotal role in military operations against Israel. He was a veteran member of Hezbollah going back to the 1980s and had previously served as Hezbollah’s military commander in southern Lebanon. The United States had announced sanctions against him in 2020.
Hezbollah has not yet commented, but supporters have been posting mourning messages for him since Saturday
09:39 AM BST
Lebanese military calls for calm
In its first statement since the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Lebanon’s military called for calm among its people “at this dangerous and delicate stage.”
Government officials fear that the country’s deep political divisions at a time of war could rekindle sectarian strife and violence in the small Mediterranean country.
“The Israeli enemy is working to implement its destructive plans and spread division among the Lebanese,” the military said.
Military vehicles have been deployed in different parts of the capital as thousands of displaced people continue moving from the south to Beirut.
09:37 AM BST
Israeli army says it strikes Hezbollah launchers, armouries and infrastructure in Lebanon
09:32 AM BST
Thousands gather across Iran
Thousands of people have gathered across Iran to protest the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli airstrike.
State TV aired footage of protests in several major cities on Sunday. At Iran’s parliament, lawmakers chanted “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.”
Iran helped establish Hezbollah in the 1980s and has provided the Lebanese militant group with sophisticated weaponry and training.
09:24 AM BST
UN sends emergency food aid for one million Lebanese
The World Food Programme on Sunday said it had launched an emergency operation to provide meals for one million people affected by the escalating conflict in Lebanon.
“A further acceleration of the conflict this weekend underscored the need for an immediate humanitarian response,” the Rome-based agency said in a statement, announcing that it was distributing ready-to-eat food rations, bread, hot meals and food parcels to shelters across the country.
Ongoing bombing in Lebanon is “compounding the fragility of a population burdened by accumulated crises”, the WFP said.
“In just a few days, WFP assistance has reached thousands of newly displaced people,” the programme’s country director for Lebanon, Matthew Hollingworth, said in the statement.
“As the crisis deepens, we are preparing to assist up to one million people through a mix of cash and food support,” he added, calling on the international community to mobilise $105 million to fund the operation through to the end of the year.
09:18 AM BST
Displaced families sleep on benches
In Beirut, displaced families spent the night on the benches at Zaitunay Bay, a high-end string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut’s waterfront.
Families with nothing more than a duffle bag of clothes had rolled out mats to sleep on and were pouring tea for themselves.
“You won’t be able to destroy us, whatever you do, however much you bomb, however much you displace people – we will stay here. We won’t leave. This is our country and we’re staying,” said Francoise Azori, a Beirut resident jogging through the area.
09:16 AM BST
El-Sissi warns Israeli operations threaten the region
Egypt’s president warned that Israeli military operations in the Palestinian territories and Lebanon are pushing the region to the brink and called for international action.
Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, one of the mediators between Israel and Hamas, called for “an immediate and comprehensive cease-fire” in both Gaza and Lebanon amid an unprecedented escalation between Israel and Hezbollah. His remarks came after Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.
El-Sissi’s comments came in a phone call late Saturday with Lebanese caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati, according to a statement from the Egyptian president’s office. He also gave orders to send medical and humanitarian aid to Lebanon immediately.
Along with the United States and Qatar, Egypt has for months spearheaded negotiations between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza. But negotiations have repeatedly stalled amid mounting fear of an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas. Diplomats see a cease-fire in Gaza as the best way to avert a regional war.
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