BEIRUT: European and Arab states have pressured Israel to stop targeting Beirut, a Western diplomat told AFP on Friday, two days after deadly Israeli strikes on Lebanon that left more than 300 people dead. On Thursday afternoon, the Israeli military issued a warning of incoming strikes for large, densely populated areas of southern Beirut, but had not carried out the threat as of midday on Friday. The Western diplomat, who asked to remain anonymous in order to discuss sensitive matters, said on Friday &quot;There is ongoing diplomatic pressure from European states, Gulf states and Egypt on Israel to prevent renewed Israeli airstrikes on Beirut after &#39;Black Wednesday&#39;&quot;. More than 300 people, mostly civilians according to a Lebanese military source, were killed in the wave of simultaneous Israeli strikes on Wednesday on Beirut and other areas of Lebanon. The strikes were launched despite the announcement hours earlier of a truce between the United States and Iran, with Israel and the US saying it did not apply to Lebanon. Thursday&#39;s Israeli warning included areas home to major hospitals and the road to the country&#39;s only international airport. Public Works and Transport Minister Fayez Rasamni said, in a statement carried by the state-run National News Agency (NNA) on Thursday, that he had &quot;received assurances&quot; from foreign diplomats that the airport and the road leading to it would be spared. Meanwhile, Mohammad Zaatari, director of the country&#39;s largest public medical facility, Rafic Hariri Hospital, told AFP: &quot;We have received assurances, including from the International Committee of the Red Cross that the hospital would not be targeted.&quot; The World Health Organization on Thursday called on Israel to cancel its evacuation warning for the Jnah district of Beirut because around 450 patients were in the Rafic Hariri and Al-Zahraa hospitals in the district, including 40 in intensive care. In southern Lebanon, Israeli strikes hit several villages during the night and on Friday, the NNA reported. An AFP photographer saw firefighters extinguishing a fire in a building blown apart by a nighttime strike in the village of Habbouch, near Nabatiyeh.

Lebanese rescuers clear the rubble at the site of an Israeli airstrike that targeted a building the day before in the Lebanese Beirut on April 9, 2026. (AFP)

Middle East

European and Arab states pressure Israel to halt strikes on Beirut after attacks killed over 300 in Lebanon, as Israeli warnings continue and civilians and key infrastructure remain at risk.

European, Arab pressure on Israel to stop strikes on Lebanese capital: diplomat 

Web Desk/AFP

Americas

Iran fires missiles at Israel as strikes intensify across the region, Trump issues fresh threats and ultimatums, and tensions rise after attacks on energy sites, military targets and infrastructure, deepening instability across the Middle East.

Day 36: All you need to know about US-Israel war on Iran

BEIRUT: Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said Saturday that 46 rescuers and five medical staff had been killed by Israel since the start of the war with Hezbollah on March 2. Nassereddine said in a press conference that &quot;the number of martyrs in the health sector... is 51 martyrs... including 46 paramedics and 5 health workers, including nine new paramedic martyrs today.&quot; The minister said the nine medics killed in south Lebanon on Saturday included four from Hezbollah&#39;s Islamic Health Committee who were targeted by Israeli strikes while carrying out rescue missions, and five from the Hezbollah-allied Amal movement&#39;s Risala Scouts, who were also on duty.

Lebanese Health Minister Rakan Nassereddine said Saturday that 46 rescuers and five medical staff had been killed by Israel since the start of the war with Hezbollah on March 2

Lebanon says 46 rescuers, 5 medical staff killed in Israel-Hezbollah war

BEIRUT: A Hezbollah official told AFP on Wednesday that the Lebanese movement would not intervene militarily in the event of &quot;limited&quot; US strikes on its backer, Iran, but would consider any attack against supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei a &quot;red line.&quot; The US has repeatedly threatened Iran over its contentious nuclear program, and Lebanese authorities fear Hezbollah could become involved if a potential US attack triggered a regional war. But the official told AFP on condition of anonymity: &quot;In the event of limited US strikes on Iran, Hezbollah&#39;s position will be to not intervene militarily.&quot; If the group determines, however, that the United States is trying to &quot;provoke the downfall of the Iranian regime or to target the supreme leader, Hezbollah will then intervene,&quot; they added. The official predicted that in a hypothetical scenario where the US attempted to militarily unseat the Iranian government, US-ally Israel would &quot;inevitably wage a war against Lebanon.&quot; US President Donald Trump has deployed warships and fighter jets near Iran to back up his threats of strikes should ongoing negotiations between the two sides fail to secure a deal. Lebanon&#39;s foreign minister said Tuesday that the government feared Israeli attacks on civilian infrastructure if Hezbollah&mdash;which still has an arsenal of ballistic missiles&mdash;became part of a regional conflict between the US and Iran. &quot;What the Lebanese fear is a chain reaction: an American strike against Iran, a Hezbollah retaliatory strike against Israel, followed by a massive Israeli response,&quot; said a Lebanese official who requested anonymity. Hezbollah&#39;s leader, Naim Qassem, has said that his group is in a &quot;defensive position,&quot; but it would consider itself &quot;targeted&quot; by any US attack on Iran. During the 12-day war between Israel and Iran last June, which the US later joined, Hezbollah did not intervene. Hezbollah emerged weakened from over a year of war with Israel that a November 2024 ceasefire sought to halt. Despite the agreement, Israel has continued striking targets it says are linked to Hezbollah on a near-daily basis, saying it is enforcing ceasefire provisions against the group rearming.Hezbollah and the Lebanese government have protested the attacks as ceasefire violations. The official speaking to AFP stressed that Hezbollah was refraining from responding to the strikes, but that its restraint &quot;has limits.&quot; &quot;Israeli attacks cannot continue indefinitely without a response.&quot;

Hezbollah said it would not intervene in limited US strikes on Iran but warned targeting Iran’s supreme leader would cross a red line, potentially triggering intervention and escalating regional conflict involving Israel and Lebanon

Hezbollah official says will not intervene in event of 'limited' US strikes on Iran

WASHINGTON: The United States on Monday ordered non-emergency personnel to leave its embassy in Beirut as President Donald Trump threatens strikes on Iran, which has close relations with Lebanese Hezbollah. &quot;This is a temporary measure intended to ensure the safety of our personnel while maintaining our ability to operate and assist US citizens,&quot; a senior State Department official said on customary condition of anonymity. Around 40 embassy personnel left through Beirut&#39;s international airport on Monday, a Lebanese security source told AFP. The order applies to non-emergency employees and their family members, but the embassy will remain open. &quot;We continuously assess the security environment, and based on our latest review, we determined it prudent to reduce our footprint to essential personnel,&quot; the US official said. Trump has ordered a major buildup of American forces in the region as he threatens to attack Iran, saying it must accept an onerous deal on concerns starting with its nuclear program. Iran&#39;s cleric-run government&mdash;which last month ruthlessly suppressed mass protests&mdash;says it expects talks Thursday with the United States in what could be a last-ditch attempt at diplomacy. Since the October 7, 2023, attacks by Iranian-backed Hamas, Israel has carried out strikes in Lebanon that have devastated Hezbollah, including killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah. Hezbollah had been expected in the past to form another front against Israel in a war with Iran. The militant group on Saturday vowed &quot;resistance&quot; after a new Israeli strike killed eight of its operatives.

The United States ordered non-essential embassy staff to leave Beirut amid rising tensions with Iran, citing security concerns, while maintaining operations as Washington increases regional military presence and diplomatic pressure

US orders exit of Beirut embassy personnel amid Iran tension

BEIRUT: Attacks carried out by Israel on Friday in eastern Lebanon killed eight members of Hezbollah, an official from the group told AFP on Saturday. Lebanon&#39;s health ministry said Friday that a total of 10 people were killed in strikes that hit the eastern Bekaa region. The Israeli military said it targeted &quot;several terrorists of Hezbollah&#39;s missile array in three different command centres in the Baalbek area&quot;.

Israel killed eight members of Hezbollah in a strike on Lebanon's Baalbek area on Friday

Eight Hezbollah members killed in Israel's Friday strikes: Official to AFP

TEHRAN: Iran on Monday slammed Israel over its killing of Hezbollah&#39;s military chief, a day after the commander was targeted with a strike in the Lebanese capital of Beirut. &quot;The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemns the cowardly assassination of the great commander of the Lebanese Islamic Resistance, the martyr Haytham Ali Tabatabai,&quot; the foreign ministry said in a statement. Tabatabai is the most senior Hezbollah commander to be killed by Israel since the start of a ceasefire in November 2024 that sought to end more than a year of hostilities. &lsquo;Flagrant violation&rsquo;&nbsp;The killing &quot;constitutes a flagrant violation of the November 2024 ceasefire and a brutal breach of Lebanon&rsquo;s national sovereignty&quot;, the Iranian foreign ministry said. Hezbollah earlier confirmed the killing of &quot;the great commander&quot; Tabatabai. Largely unknown to the Lebanese public, Tabatabai was among the new commanders chosen to lead the group after the war. Israel has repeatedly bombed Lebanon since the truce, mostly claiming to be targeting Hezbollah members and infrastructure.

‘The Iranian foreign ministry strongly condemns the cowardly assassination of the great commander of the Lebanese Islamic Resistance, the martyr Haytham Ali Tabatabai,’ the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Iran slams Israel’s killing of Hezbollah military chief

JERUSALEM: Israel&#39;s military said it had hit Hezbollah launchers and weapons storage facilities in Lebanon on Saturday.&nbsp;&quot;The IDF struck launchers and military sites belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organisation in the Bekaa area and in southern Lebanon,&quot; Israel&#39;s military said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;The presence of the launchers and the military activity at these sites constitutes a violation of the understandings between Israel and Lebanon.&quot;

Israeli military announces new strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon

BEIRUT:&nbsp;An Israeli strike on southern Lebanon killed one person on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said, in the latest attack on the area despite a nearly year-long ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. In a statement, the ministry said that &ldquo;an Israeli enemy strike&rdquo; on a vehicle in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah, south Lebanon, killed one person. The ministry also said that a grenade launched by an Israeli drone in the southern town of Shaqra wounded five people. The Israeli military did not immediately comment on the incidents. Israeli strike kills man&nbsp;Lebanon&rsquo;s state-run National News Agency identified the killed man as Kamel Reda Qarnabash, saying he was driving his vehicle in Zawtar al-Sharqiyah when the strike hit. The Israeli army said earlier on Saturday that it killed a Hezbollah member in a strike the day before on Froun, southern Lebanon. &ldquo;In a targeted strike the (Israeli army) eliminated a Hezbollah terrorist in the Froun area in southern Lebanon&rdquo; on Friday, the military said in a statement. It alleged the Hezbollah member had &ldquo;advanced terror attacks against the State of Israel&rdquo; and its forces. The Lebanese health ministry said on Friday that an &ldquo;Israeli enemy strike&rdquo; on a vehicle in Froun killed one person. Ceasefire violation&nbsp;Lebanon has accused Israel of violating the ceasefire agreement reached in November 2024 -- which sought to halt more than a year of hostilities with Hezbollah -- by continuing its strikes and maintaining forces inside its territory. Israel has said Hezbollah is working to rebuild its military capabilities, accusing the group of breaking the ceasefire terms. According to the health ministry, more than 330 people have been killed in Lebanon and 945 wounded since the ceasefire. An Israeli strike Tuesday night on the Ain al-Hilweh camp for Palestinian refugees in southern Lebanon killed 13 people. On Friday, Israel said it had targeted &ldquo;terrorists&rdquo; from the Palestinian group Hamas, allied with Hezbollah, in the strike on the camp, located on the outskirts of the coastal city of Sidon. Two students killed&nbsp;Israel&rsquo;s military &quot;is operating against Hamas&#39;s establishment in Lebanon, and will continue to operate against Hamas terrorists wherever they operate&quot;, it said in Friday&#39;s statement. A secondary school in the camp said in a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday that two of its students were killed, publishing an image of two adolescent boys. The United States has sought to exert pressure on the Lebanese government to make Hezbollah hand over its weapons, which the group has so far refused to do.

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency identified the killed man as Kamel Reda Qarnabash; according to the health ministry, more than 330 people have been killed in Lebanon and 945 wounded since the ceasefire.

Lebanon says fresh Israeli strike on south kills one

BEIRUT: Lebanon&#39;s President Joseph Aoun told US officials on Sunday his country was tackling money laundering and the financing of terrorism, days after Washington imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members. The trio were accused of money laundering to fund Lebanon&#39;s Hezbollah group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western powers. The US delegation&#39;s visit to Beirut, headed by senior director for counterterrorism Sebastian Gorka, came as Washington works to cut off Hezbollah&#39;s funding and Lebanon&#39;s government tries to disarm it. The group was severely weakened in its most recent war with Israel, which was halted by a November 2024 ceasefire. &quot;Lebanon strictly applies the measures adopted to prevent money laundering, smuggling, or its use in financing terrorism, and severely punishes financial crimes of all kinds,&quot; Aoun said he had told the delegation. On Thursday, the US imposed sanctions on three Hezbollah members allegedly involved in the transfer of tens of millions of dollars from Iran, the group&#39;s main sponsor. Part of the funding was via money exchange businesses that operate in cash, said a US Treasury statement. Since January 2025, Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards have &quot;transferred over $1 billion&quot; to Hezbollah, &quot;mostly through money exchange companies,&quot; it added. &quot;Lebanon has an opportunity to be free, prosperous, and secure &mdash; but that can only happen if Hezbollah is fully disarmed and cut off from Iran&#39;s funding and control,&quot; deputy director for counter-terrorism John Hurley said on Thursday. Hurley later posted on X that he, Aou,n and Gorka had &quot;discussed ways in which we can partner together to stop the flow of money from Iran to Hezbollah and create a safer and more prosperous Lebanon.&quot; Israel on Sunday carried out new strikes in south Lebanon, killing two people according to the health ministry, putting the toll from Israeli strikes since Saturday at five. Aoun called on Sunday for &quot;pressure on Israel to stop its ongoing attacks.&quot;

Three Hezbollah members are accused of money laundering to fund the group, designated a terrorist organization by the United States and other Western powers.

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