Live Updates: Iran warns of 'obliterating war' if Israel attacks Lebanon

Saturday, June 29, 2024

06:54 GMT — Iran warns of 'obliterating war' if Israel attacks Lebanon

Iran's UN mission has said that if Israel embarks on a "full-scale military aggression" in Lebanon, "an obliterating war will ensue."

The Iranian mission also said in the post on X, formerly known as Twitter, that in such an event "all options, incl. the full involvement of all resistance fronts, are on the table."

It comes as American intelligence sees a large scale war likely to erupt between Israel and Lebanon in "the next several weeks" if ceasefire is not reached in besieged Gaza, where Israel continues its 267-day invasion and mass killings of Palestinians.

06:30 GMT — Hamas slams Israel's plan to legalise Zionist settlements in West Bank

Hamas has condemned an Israeli decision to legalise new Zionist settlement outposts and units in the occupied West Bank.

The Palestinian resistance group denounced the announcement as "a practical declaration by the fascist occupation government to proceed with extremist (Finance Minister Bezalel) Smotrich's plans to control the West Bank."

Hamas said the new settlement plans "require a unified Palestinian stance to reject and confront them and resist the policies of the extremist Zionist government."

05:40 GMT — Houthis say targeted Israel-linked ships in Red, Mediterranean seas

The Yemeni Houthi group has announced it targeted four more Israel-linked ships, including a US ship, in the Red and Mediterranean seas in solidarity with Gaza.

The group's military spokesperson, Yahya Saree, said it attacked the Waler oil tanker with several drones in the Mediterranean Sea while it was headed to the Haifa port in Israel.

Saree said fighters also targeted the Johannes Maersk container carrier in the Mediterranean with a cruise missile. He added that both vessels violated the group's ban on vessels from accessing Israeli ports.

05:00 GMT — US gave Israel 14,000 2,000-pound bombs for Gaza war — report

The Biden administration has sent to Israel large numbers of munitions, including at least 14,000 highly destructive 2,000-pound bombs and thousands of Hellfire missiles, since the start of Israel's war on Gaza, Reuters news agency reported, citing two US officials who briefed on an updated list of weapons shipments.

Between the war's start last October and recent days, the United States has transferred at least 14,000 of the MK-84 2,000-pound bombs, 6,500 500-pound bombs, 3,000 Hellfire precision-guided air-to-ground missiles, 1,000 bunker-buster bombs, 2,600 air-dropped small-diameter bombs, and other munitions, according to the officials, who were not authorised to speak publicly.

While the officials didn't give a timeline for the shipments, the totals suggest there has been no significant drop-off in US military support for its ally, despite international calls to limit weapons supplies and a recent administration decision to pause a shipment of powerful bombs.

04:20 GMT — 'Carry your son and run': Gaza families describe fleeing Rafah under Israeli invasion

Displaced Palestinian families in Gaza's south have fled what they said was intensifying Israeli fire in northern areas of Rafah to seek shelter elsewhere, describing a chaotic night as the sounds of fighting drew closer and prompted the difficult decision to evacuate.

"Just carry your son and run, we don't have anything with us," said one man, Mohammad al-Hadad. Some who fled overnight were able to return on Friday, throwing their belongings atop vehicles or wagons pulled by donkeys and setting off.

"We do not know where we can go," said a woman, Ghada Qudeh. "Since yesterday, we have not found food or drink." She said her family fled after Israeli invaders fired missiles at a house where they were sheltering Thursday.

03:30 GMT — Israeli incursion in Gaza City forcing Palestinians to flee again

Palestinians in northern Gaza said intense Israeli bombardments have forced many people to flee the Shijaiyah neighbourhood of Gaza City, as the Israeli military confirmed it had launched a new incursion into areas that were heavily bombed by Tel Aviv and largely emptied early in the war.

Residents described fierce battles in Shijaiyah for a second day in row, driving people to seek safety in western parts of Gaza City.

"It's like the first weeks of the invasion," said one man, Mahmoud al-Masry, who left his home with his parents and four siblings.

➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.