EU boss: ‘Critical level of dangerosity’ in Middle East
The situation in the Middle East has reached a “critical level of dangerosity”, the EU’s foreign affairs chief has said.
Josep Borrell said in a social media post that he supported calls for a UN Security Council resolution which urges a full end to hostilities at the shared border between Israel and Lebanon.
Officials have been urging for both sides to abide by the resolution for months.
It is needed “in addition to the much-needed ceasefire in Gaza”, Mr Borrell said.
US orders two carrier strike groups to remain in Middle East
The US is strengthening its presence in the Middle East after the attacks by Israel and Hezbollah led to heightened tensions in the region.
US defence secretary Lloyd Austin has ordered for two aircraft carrier strike groups to remain stationed in the region, the Pentagon has said, as it summarised a call between him and his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant.
The Pentagon had initially deployed the Abraham Lincoln strike group into the region with a plan to replace the Theodore Roosevelt carrier strike group.
Israeli ambassador to UK says Hezbollah attacks have created ‘ghost cities’
Israel needs to act in self-defence against Hezbollah attacks which have caused areas of the north to become “ghost cities”, the Israeli ambassador to the UK has said.
Speaking to Sky News, Tzipi Hotovely compared the scale of evacuations from large areas of northern Israel to major UK cities.
“Can you imagine cities like Manchester and Liverpool being evacuated for months? For over a year?” she said.
“Cities in the north of Israel are abandoned, they’re ghost cities. No one can live there because they’re under fire. This is exactly why we need to act in self-defence.”
Ms Hotovely said Iran was trying to create a “circle of fire around Israel” through its support of Hezbollah in Lebanon and the Hamas militant group in Gaza, on Israel’s southern border.
She also said Israel was “serious” about agreeing a deal which would see the release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza.
“Israel is willing to go for a hostage deal. But it’s Hamas that being the hardliner here that doesn’t want to compromise,” she said.
She said Hamas could end the war “today” by releasing those being held captive.
Hamas rejects new Israeli conditions in Gaza ceasefire talks
Attention has been focused today on the heavy exchange of fire between Israel and Hezbollah which has fuelled fears of a full-scale regional war.
But there also appears to be no end in sight for the 10-month-old war in Gaza, as high-level ceasefire talks in Egypt appear to stall.
Hamas official Osama Hamdan has said this evening that the militant group is rejecting new Israeli conditions for a ceasefire and is sticking to 2 July proposal that it previously agreed to.
Israel and Hamas have been sticking firmly to their demands for months as the US, Qatar and Egypt have tried to broker a deal.
US provided intelligence support to Israel but was not involved in strikes – official
The US was not involved in Israel’s “preemptive” strikes against Hezbollah last night but did provide intelligence and surveillance support, an official has said.
The official told our US partner network NBC News that America supported tracking incoming Hezbollah attacks but “did not conduct any kinetic operations as they were not required”.
The US is continuing to “closely monitor the situation” and remains “well-postured and ready to support the defence of Israel from attacks by Iran and any of its proxies”, they added.
Top US military official arrives in Israel for talks after airstrikes
US military official General CQ Brown has arrived in Israel hours after the country’s cross-border clashes with Hezbollah.
Mr Brown, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to hold talks with senior Israeli military officials.
It comes shortly after his visit to Egypt, in which he was told by president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that the international community needed to “exert all efforts and intensify pressures to defuse tension and stop the state of escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region”.
Here’s your evening rundown
If you’re just joining us this Sunday evening, here’s a quick recap of what’s happened so far today:
- Israel has launched a wave of “pre-emptive” airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon overnight – as the militant group said it had fired drones and hundreds of rockets;
- Hezbollah said its attack was an initial response to the killing of one of its founders and top commanders in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month;
- At least three people were killed in the strikes in Lebanon, according to reports;
- In Israel, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said initial assessments found “very little damage”;
- Some flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport have been suspended;
- Both sides halted the exchange of fire by mid-morning, pointing to no immediate further escalation;
- Israel and Hezbollah have both said they want to avoid any escalation into a full-scale war – but Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the strikes were “not the end of the story”;
- Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the response to the killing of one of its commanders was delayed for several reasons, including to give ceasefire talks a chance. He also said the attack was carried out “as planned” and that the group had targeted an Israeli military base near Tel Aviv;
- The White House said Joe Biden was following events closely.
De-escalation ‘crucial’, says UK defence secretary
UK defence secretary John Healey says he has spoken with his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant about the situation on the northern border.
In a post to X, Mr Healey also said de-escalation in the Middle East was “crucial”.
He said he and Mr Gallant “discussed our shared concern to avoid escalation and wider regional conflict”.
What is Israel’s Iron Dome defence system – and why is it so effective?
Warning sirens rang out through northern Israel last night and explosions were heard as Israel’s Iron Dome system shot down rockets coming from southern Lebanon (see footage in previous post).
The system is one of the most effective in the world.
The Iron Dome began operating in 2011, largely in response to the 2006 war that ended with Hamas taking control of Gaza the following year.
It consists of a series of truck-towed mobile units placed strategically throughout the country.
Our explainer details more about the defence system and why it is so effective at countering attacks aimed at Israel:
Watch: Moment Iron Dome intercepts missiles
Footage has emerged showing the moment Israel’s Iron Dome defence system intercepted missiles on the Israel-Lebanon border.
Missiles could be seen curling up against the dawn sky leaving vapour trails behind them before being hit by Israeli defences.
The Iron Dome uses radars to detect and intercept short-range rockets, missiles and drones.