LIVE from Beirut (Lebanon) - Israeli army will continue striking Hezbollah ‘without respite’

Israeli army chief vows to keep hitting Hezbollah 'without respite' On Wednesday, 9 October 2024, the Chief of Staff of the Israeli army, General Herzi Halevi, promised that Israel would continue striking Hezbollah in Lebanon "without respite." "We will continue to strike Hezbollah intensely, without giving them the slightest respite or opportunity to recover, after the significant damage we have inflicted on them," General Halevi said in a statement released by the Israeli army. Earlier on Wednesday, the Israeli Air Force announced that it had killed a Hezbollah member in Syria, during an airstrike in the Quneitra region, near the Israeli-occupied and annexed Golan Heights. The military claimed that Adham Jahout, a Hezbollah member, was passing intelligence from Syrian regime sources to Hezbollah and facilitating operations against Israel from the Golan front. Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant also issued a stern warning to Iran, promising that Israel's response to the recent Iranian missile attack would be "deadly, precise, and surprising." "Our attack on Iran will be deadly, precise, and surprising," Gallant declared in a statement shared on social media, adding, "Those who seek to harm the State of Israel will pay the price." On 1 October, Iran had launched 200 missiles towards Israel in retaliation for the assassinations of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, and one of its commanders. The United States has urged Israel to avoid any military action in Lebanon that "resembles" what occurred in Gaza, where Washington is also concerned about humanitarian access, particularly in the north. "I am making it very clear that there should not be any military action in Lebanon that resembles Gaza, with a similar outcome to Gaza," U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller told the press. On Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had called on the Lebanese people to "liberate" their country from Hezbollah, threatening Lebanon with the same "destruction and suffering" as Gaza if they did not act. Gaza has been devastated by a year of relentless warfare waged by Israel. A Lebanese government source revealed that Hezbollah had agreed to a ceasefire with Israel on the day its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike. Prior to that, the powerful Iranian-backed organisation had conditioned any ceasefire in Lebanon on a halt to fighting in Gaza between its Palestinian ally, Hamas, and the Israeli army. In another development, former British soldier Daniel Khalife, who made headlines in 2023 after escaping prison by clinging to the underside of a delivery truck, is on trial in London for allegedly passing information to Iran. Khalife, 23, reportedly contacted Iran in April 2019, shortly after joining the army, and sent a list of 15 British soldiers' names, including those from special forces units, via WhatsApp. He has denied the charges. Meanwhile, Paris will host an international conference on 24 October to support Lebanon, an initiative by French President Emmanuel Macron to rally global assistance for the Lebanese people and support the country's institutions, according to a statement from the French Foreign Ministry. A phone call between U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is also planned, marking the first direct conversation between the two leaders since hostilities escalated in Lebanon. Lastly, Hezbollah announced that it had targeted Israeli troops in Mays al-Jabal, a Lebanese village near the border, with artillery shells. The Iranian-backed Islamist group had earlier reported fighting as Israeli troops attempted to advance into the region from multiple directions. These developments come amid escalating tensions in the region, with both sides exchanging increasingly violent attacks and retaliations, resulting in rising civilian casualties. #israel #lebanon #hezbollah #beirut ⬇️ Always stay informed ⬇️ ???? Follow all the news on ???? https://euronews.com ???? Subscribe ► https://www.youtube.com/@euronews ???? Watch our LIVE here: https://www.youtube.com/c/euronews/live ???? Follow us: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/euronews Twitter: https://twitter.com/euronews Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/euronews.tv/ ???? Subscribe to our thematic channels: NoComment: https://www.youtube.com/c/nocommenttv?sub_confirmation=1 Euronews Green: http://bit.ly/2sMsaDB Euronews Next: https://www.youtube.com/c/EuronewsNext?sub_confirmation=1 Euronews Travel: https://www.youtube.com/c/EuronewsTravel?sub_confirmation=1 Download our new app to receive all the latest updates from Europe’s newsroom: https://apps.eur.ws/8HQ4