Israel attacks Lebanon updates: Hezbollah leader’s killing raises war fears

To read our news story on the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli air strike, go here.

You can read our explainer on the impact of Nasrallah’s killing, here.

And you can find all of our latest coverage of Israel’s war on Gaza and its attacks on Lebanon, here.

We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of today’s events:

• Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, following a large-scale Israeli airstrike on a densely populated neighborhood in Beirut on Friday.
• Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is a historical turning point that could change the balance of power in the Middle East, while warning of “challenging days” ahead.
• Thirty-three people were killed and 195 wounded in Israeli air strikes on Lebanon today, the Lebanese Health Ministry says.
• The Israeli army now says a projectile fired from Lebanon crashed into the occupied West Bank, sparking fires.
• The Houthi’s military spokesperson says it launched an attack on Ben Gurion airport during the arrival of Israeli PM Netanyahu.

Israel’s military says it “neutralised” two uncrewed aerial vehicles launched from southern Lebanon towards the western Galilee region.

Israel’s Army Radio says Israel is prepared for retaliation from Hezbollah after two weeks of deadly attacks on Lebanon.

More than 1,000 people have been killed and about 6,000 wounded as a result of Israeli strikes, Lebanon’s Health Ministry has said. And about 1 million Lebanese people have been displaced – including hundreds of thousands since Friday, said Nasser Yassin, the minister coordinating the government’s crisis response.

This country is in mourning after Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah’s assassination by Israel and there has been a public outpouring of anger in various regions.

We’ve been seeing pictures of hundreds of people coming out to protest in the southern provinces of Basra, in Karbala, and also here in Baghdad, where many access roads to the Green Zone [a district in central Baghdad, which is the seat of the Iraqi government] have been blocked because of demonstrators.

They’re all condemning this Israeli attack and saying this is a complete breakdown of the international rules-based order.

Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, the Grand Ayatollah of Iraq, has condemned the killing and talked about how Nasrallah was not just important for the Palestinian resistance but also for the role he played for Iraq during its fight against ISIL [ISIS].

All in all, Hassan Nasrallah is somebody who is remembered here, somebody who played an important role. We’re hearing from various factions, both in the security and political spectrum of Iraq, that there are going to be more protests.

He led Hezbollah for more than three decades and made it into a military and political force to be reckoned with in the Middle East.

Hassan Nasrallah’s killing in an Israeli air attack in a southern suburb of Beirut is sure to open a new page in the ongoing war. Israel is on high alert and says it is prepared for all options after it announced his death.

But will Hezbollah respond – and if so, how? And how will the latest development shape the future of the armed group and its role in the region?

In a statement, the Jordanian army said a grad rocket from southern Lebanon fell in an uninhabited desert area in Muwaqqar.

It added that no casualties or material damage occurred as a result.

Asked by reporters if an Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon was inevitable, US President Joe Biden said on Saturday: “It’s time for a ceasefire now.”

Asked if the US would respond to missile attacks on its warships in the Red Sea, Biden said: “We’re responding.”

The head of the United Nations is urging all sides to “step back from the brink” following the dramatic escalation of events in Beirut over the last 24 hours, his spokesman said.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres believes “this cycle of violence must stop now”, Stephane Dujarric said. “The people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, as well as the wider region, cannot afford an all-out war.”

Guterres urged both sides to recommit to the full implementation of the 2006 UN Security Council resolution that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war in Lebanon, “and immediately return to a cessation of hostilities”, Dujarric said.

Pretoria expressed concern regarding the recent escalation of “extrajudicial killings”, most notably the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other leaders in Lebanon.

“The scale of injuries caused by Israel’s indiscriminate explosions is deeply troubling and warrants strong condemnation from the international community,” South Africa’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Such attacks on civilians constitute a grave violation of international human rights and humanitarian law. These actions serve to exacerbate an already tense situation in the Middle East and appear to be aimed at undermining international peace efforts in the region.

“We stand in solidarity with the government of Lebanon during this challenging time and express our support in the aftermath of these ongoing attacks.”

In Beirut’s southern suburbs, many people are forced to sleep outside as heavy Israeli bombardment continues. Homes are destroyed and the threat of further strikes keeps residents on edge.

Hundreds of thousands have already fled Israeli attacks targeting the south and east of the country.

Fatima Chahine, a Syrian refugee, slept on the Ramlet al-Bayda public beach in Beirut with her family and hundreds of strangers.

“We only want a place where our children won’t be afraid,” she said. “We fled from the war in Syria in 2011 because of the children and we came here. And now the same thing is happening again.”

At the beach, the displaced are spread out over the pavement or in cars parked by the kerb. Others camped out in beach pagodas or on blankets in the sand.

“We spent more than three hours going in circles between schools and shelters and we didn’t find one with room,” said Talal Ahmad Jassaf, a Lebanese man who also slept on the beach with his family.

He said he is considering going to the relative safety of Syria, but worries about air strikes on the road between Beirut and Damascus.

US President Joe Biden convened a call with Vice President Kamala Harris and their national security team for the latest news on the situation in the Middle East.

Discussions also reviewed the status of American military assets in the region and diplomatic efforts to deescalate conflicts, the White House said.

Israel carried out massive bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs on Friday, killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and raising fears of wider war in the region.

Is the killing of Hassan Nasrallah a game changer? It’s the culmination of a massive series of Israeli attacks that targeted Hezbollah’s top political and military leadership.

How will the group respond? And could events in the Middle East spin out of control?

Israel is continuing its bombardment of the southern Dahiyeh area of Beirut, which is one of the most densely populated neighbourhoods in Lebanon. It’s home to about 700,000 people. Since the air strikes began on Friday, they have not stopped.

Most of the people who live there have fled – really scared and disoriented – and the mass exodus continues. We’ve also had strikes near the international airport, some 500 metres (1,640 feet) away.

Israel says it’s targeting any shipment or arrival of weapons that could get in the hands of Hezbollah. In effect, it’s really trying to lay siege to entry points in the country to prevent Hezbollah from restocking weapon supplies.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant says Israel’s war is not with the Lebanese people.

Gallant held talks late on Saturday about possibly expanding Israel’s military campaign on its northern front, his office said.

“Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant is currently conducting an operational situation assessment regarding the expansion of [military] activities in the northern arena,” it said.