Page 21 - Israel

After explosions in Lebanon, is Israel preparing for war with Hezbollah?

With Israel's defense minister announcing a new phase of the war and an apparent Israeli attack setting off explosions in electronic devices in Lebanon, the specter of all-out combat between Israel and Hezbollah seems closer than ever before. Hopes for a diplomatic solution to the conflict appear to be fading quickly as Israel signals a desire to change the status quo in the country's north, where it has exchanged cross-border fire with Hezbollah since the Lebanese militant group began attacking on Oct. 8, a day after the war's opening salvo by Hamas. In recent days, Israel has moved a powerful fighting force up to the northern border, officials have escalated their rhetoric, and the country's security Cabinet has designated the return of tens of thousands of displaced residents to their homes in northern Israel an official war goal. Here's a look at how Israel is preparing for a war with Lebanon: Troops drawn from Gaza to the northern border While the daily fighting between Israe

India abstains from UNGA resolution urging Israel's exit from occupied land

India abstained in the UN General Assembly on a resolution that demanded Israel end its unlawful presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory within 12 months, with Delhi underlining that it is a strong advocate of "dialogue and diplomacy" and efforts should be made towards "building bridges", "not furthering divides". The 193-member General Assembly adopted the resolution on Wednesday, with 124 nations voting in favour, 14 against and 43 abstentions, including that by India. The resolution was titled Advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on the legal consequences arising from Israel's policies and practices in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and from the illegality of Israel's continued presence in the Occupied Palestinian Territory'. Those abstaining included Australia, Canada, Germany, Italy, Nepal, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Nations voting against the resolution included Israel and the US. Delivering the explanation of vote

Pager, walkie-talkie blasts in Lebanon: Who is targeting Hezbollah and why?

A day after large-scale pager explosions targeting Hezbollah, Lebanon was shaken by blasts from walkie-talkies and solar equipment on Wednesday. The militant group blames Israel for the attacks

New wave of blasts hits Lebanon; Israel declares 'new phase' of war

Walkie-talkies and solar equipment exploded in Beirut and multiple parts of Lebanon on Wednesday in an apparent second wave of attacks targeting electronic devices a day after hundreds of pagers used by Hezbollah blew up, state media and Hezbollah officials said. At least nine people were killed and more than 300 people wounded in the second wave, the Health Ministry said. The attacks, which were widely believed to be carried out by Israel targeting Hezbollah, have hiked fears that the two sides' simmering conflict could escalate into all-out war. Speaking to Israeli troops on Wednesday, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said, We are at the start of a new phase in the war it requires courage, determination and perseverance. He made no mention of the explosions of electronic devices but praised the work of Israel's army and security agencies, saying the results are very impressive. In Wednesday's attacks, several blasts were heard at a funeral in Beirut for three Hezbollah memb

Hezbollah pager bombs: Israel's original plan failed. So here's what it did

Israeli intelligence agency Mossad reportedly inserted explosives into thousands of pagers during production before the devices reached Hezbollah

Hezbollah pager bombs latest in long list of Israeli strikes on its enemies

Israel has a history of executing sophisticated remote operations, which include complex cyberattacks, remote-controlled machine guns, and suicide drone attacks

Hezbollah and Hamas leaders who have been assassinated since Gaza war

Mohammed Nasser was killed in an Israeli airstrike on July 3. Israel claimed responsibility, saying he headed a unit responsible for firing from southwestern Lebanon at Israel

Pagers that exploded in Lebanon, Syria were made in Budapest: Taiwan firm

Taiwanese company Gold Apollo said Wednesday that it authorised its brand on the pagers that exploded in Lebanon and Syria but that another company based in Budapest manufactured them. The pagers were manufactured by BAC Consulting KFT, based in Hungary's capital, according to a statement released Wednesday by Gold Apollo. Gold Apollo said the AR-924 pagers used by the Hezbollah militant group were produced and sold by a company called BAC that was authorised to use Gold Apollo's trademark in some regions. According to the cooperation agreement, we authorise BAC to use our brand trademark for product sales in designated regions, but the design and manufacturing of the products are solely the responsibility of BAC, the statement read. Experts believe explosive material was put into the pagers prior to their delivery and use in a sophisticated supply chain infiltration. Gold Apollo chair Hsu Ching-kuang told journalists Wednesday that his company has had an authorisation agreement w

What are pagers? Why are they still being used to communicate by people?

Pager explosions in Lebanon left 9 Hezbollah members dead, with around 2750 people injured. The devices, widely used in the 1980s, are back in headlines. Here's all you need to know

Pager explosions in Lebanon: How attack was planned over 6 months ago

Simultaneous pager explosions in Lebanon on Tuesday killed at least nine people and injured 2,700. These devices were being used by the militant group Hezbollah, which blamed Israel for the attack

How Israel's Mossad planted explosives in 5,000 Hezbollah's pagers

The pager blasts came at a time of mounting concern about tensions between Israel and Hezbollah

Taiwan firm Gold Apollo denies it made pagers used in Lebanon attacks

On Tuesday, thousands of pagers exploded across Lebanon, killing at least nine people and wounding almost 3,000

UN considers resolution demanding Israel end occupation of Palestinian land

The UN General Assembly is considering a Palestinian resolution Tuesday demanding that Israel end its unlawful presence in Gaza and the occupied West Bank within a year and calling for sanctions and an arms embargo against the country. It will be put to a vote in the 193-member assembly Wednesday as Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza approaches its first anniversary and as violence in the West Bank reaches new highs. The war was triggered by Hamas attacks in southern Israel on October 7. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, urged member nations to reject the measure, describing it as an attempt to destroy Israel through diplomatic terrorism and that "ignores the truth, twists the facts and replaces reality with fiction. Instead of a resolution condemning the rape and massacre committed by Hamas on October 7, we gather here to watch the Palestinians' UN circus a circus where evil is righteous, war is peace, murder is justified and terror is applauded, he told the assembly. Th

Israel has history of pulling off complex attacks like exploding pagers

Hezbollah and the Lebanese government were quick to blame Israel for the nearly simultaneous detonation of hundreds of pagers used by the militant group's members in an attack Tuesday that killed at least nine people and wounded nearly 3,000 others, according to officials. Many of those hit were members of militant group Hezbollah, but it wasn't immediately clear if others also carried the pagers. Among those killed were the son of a prominent Hezbollah politician and an 8-year-old girl, according to Lebanon's health minister. The attack came amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah, which have exchanged fire across the Israel-Lebanon border since last year's Oct 7 attack by Hamas that sparked the war in Gaza. Iran's ambassador to Lebanon was among those injured by the pager explosions. Israel rarely takes responsibility for such attacks, and its military declined to comment Tuesday. However, the country has a long history of carrying out sophisticated remote .

8 including Hezbollah members killed in pager explosions in Lebanon, Syria

Hundreds of handheld pagers exploded near simultaneously across Lebanon and in parts of Syria on Tuesday, killing at least eight people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah and a girl, and wounding the Iranian ambassador, government officials said. Officials pointed the finger at Israel in what appeared to be a sophisticated, remote attack that wounded more than 2,700 people at a time of rising tensions across the Lebanon border. The Israeli military declined to comment. A Hezbollah official who spoke on condition of anonymity told The Associated Press that the new brand of handheld pagers used by the group first heated up, then exploded, killing at least two of its members and wounding others. Lebanon's health minister, Firas Abiad, said at least eight people were killed and 2,750 wounded 200 of them critically. Iranian state-run IRNA news agency said that the country's ambassador, Mojtaba Amani, was superficially wounded by an exploding pager and was being treated

Halting Hezbollah now war goal as officials warn of wider ops: Israel

Israel announced Tuesday that halting Hezbollah's attacks in the north in order to allow its residents to return is now an official war goal, as the country considers a wider military operation that could ignite an all-out conflict. Israeli officials have repeatedly threatened to take heavier military action to halt the near-daily attacks, which began shortly after the outbreak of the nearly yearlong Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. Israel has regularly launched airstrikes in response and has targeted and killed senior Hezbollah commanders. As recently as last month it appeared a full-blown war was imminent. The tit-for-tat strikes have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border. Hezbollah has said it would halt the attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza, but those talks have repeatedly bogged down. The United States has pressed for restraint even as it has rushed military aid to Israel, warning its close ally that a wider war would not achieve its goals. Israeli .

Houthi official says US offered to recognise Sanaa govt; US denies claims

The Houthi official's remarks came a day after a ballistic missile from the Iran-aligned group reached central Israel for the first time

Israel's Minister of Defence Gallant updates senior advisor to Biden on war

Minister Gallant emphasised that the possibility for an agreement is running out

US expresses frustration with Israel's military about strikes in Gaza

The US ambassador to the United Nations on Monday accused Israel's military of striking schools, humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza in a sign of growing American frustration with its close ally as the war approaches its first anniversary. Israel has repeatedly said it targets Hamas militants, who often hide with civilians and use them as human shields, in retaliation for the October 7 attacks in southern Israel that killed about 1,200 people and launched the war in Gaza. US Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield was unusually outspoken against the Israeli military at a UN Security Council meeting, saying many of the strikes in recent weeks that injured or killed UN personnel and humanitarian workers were preventable. Many council members cited last week's Israeli strike on a former school turned civilian shelter run by the UN agency helping Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, in which six UNRWA staffers were among at least 18 people killed, including women and children. Israe

Israeli airstrikes kill 16 in Gaza, including 4 children, say Palestinians

Palestinian officials say Israeli airstrikes killed 16 people in the Gaza Strip on Monday, including five women and four children. A strike flattened a home in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, killing at least 10 people there, including four women and two children. The Awda Hospital, which received the bodies, confirmed the toll and also said 13 people were wounded. Hospital records show that the dead included a mother, her child and her five siblings. Another strike on a home in Gaza City killed six people, including a woman and two children, according to the Civil Defense, first responders who operate under the Hamas-run government. Israel says it only targets militants and accuses Hamas and other armed groups of endangering civilians by operating in residential areas. The military rarely comments on individual strikes, which often kill women and children. Gaza's Health Ministry says more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed in the territory since Hamas' O