Live Updates: Hamas vows assassination of Haniyeh won't 'go unpunished'

Wednesday, July 31, 2024

03:44 GMT — Hamas has said the assassination of senior leader Ismail Haniyeh is a "grave escalation."

Al-Aqsa TV cited senior Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk as saying the assassination of the Hamas leader is a "cowardly act that will not go unpunished."

Hamas and Iran's Revolutionary Guard confirmed the killing of Haniyeh during his visit to Iran, with Hamas saying Israel targeted his residence in Tehran.

03:00 GMT — Israel claims to have killed Nasrallah's 'right-hand man'

Israeli fighter jets killed Hezbollah's "most senior military commander" and head of its strategic unit, Fuad Shukr, also known as "Sayyid Muhsin," in the Beirut strike, Israeli military has claimed.

Tel Aviv's claim could not be independently verified.

Reuters news agency said Israeli strike left three Lebanese civilians including two children dead.

Israeli statement said Fuad served as the "right-hand man" to Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and was his adviser for wartime operations.

02:29 GMT — Air strike reportedly targets Hashd al-Shaabi group’s headquarters in Iraq

Hashd al-Shaabi's headquarters in Iraq's Babil province has been targeted in an air strike, local media reported.

The air strike hit the group's headquarters in the town of Jurf al-Sakhar, according to reports in the Iraqi press.

The attack, allegedly carried out by US aircraft, resulted in casualties and injuries.

02:20 GMT — Iran condemns Israeli attack on Beirut

Iran has condemned the Israeli strike on southern Beirut which killed several including two children.

"The vicious and criminal action of the Zionist criminal gang in the suburbs of Beirut certainly cannot stop ... Lebanon's proud resistance from continuing the honourable path of supporting the oppressed Palestinians and standing against the aggression of the Israeli apartheid regime," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani in a statement.

"We condemn in the strongest terms the sinful and cowardly Israeli aggression that targeted the southern suburb of Beirut, which claimed the lives of a number of martyrs and wounded," Iran's embassy in Lebanon said on X.

02:15 GMT Lebanon, Russia condemn Israeli attack on Beirut

The Lebanese premier Najib Mikati also condemned the attack, saying, "This criminal act that took place tonight is a link in a series of aggressive operations that claim civilians in clear violation of international law and international humanitarian law."

Russia also accused Israel of violating international law after the strike.

"This is a gross violation of international law," Russia's Foreign Ministry told state news agencies.

02:00 GMT — Over 80 patients flee Gaza — WHO

At least 85 sick and severely wounded Palestinians from besieged Gaza, including 35 children, were forced to flee to Abu Dhabi for specialised care, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO) has said.

"This extremely complex joint evacuation was supported by the (United Arab Emirates), WHO, and partners. It is the largest medical evacuation since October 2023," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus posted on X.

The patients suffered from various severe conditions, including cancer, neurological issues and cardiac diseases.

For our live updates from Tuesday, July 30, 2024, click here.