Hezbollah blamed Israel for the explosions of pagers across Lebanon on Tuesday that killed at least nine people and wounded 2,750 more, according to the health minister. Hundreds of Hezbollah members were among the wounded, security sources said. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu earlier said Israel’s war goals now include the “safe return of the residents of the north to their homes” after they fled amid cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah. Read our live blog to see how all the day's events unfolded.
This live blog is no longer being updated. For more coverage of the Israel-Hamas war, click here.
Summary:
- At least nine people were killed and 2,750 were wounded on Tuesday when pagers exploded across Lebanon, Health Minister Firass Abiad said. Hundreds of Hezbollah members were among the wounded, according to security sources.
- Hezbollah blamed Israel for the explosions, saying in a statement: "We hold the Israeli enemy fully responsible for this criminal aggression", and adding that Israel "will certainly receive its just punishment".
- Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu announced an expansion of the country's war goals to include the return of northern residents who fled cross-border fire traded with Hamas ally Hezbollah.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going to Egypt for talks Wednesday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty and others, in a trip billed as focused both on American-Egyptian relations and Gaza consultations with Egypt.
- At least 41,252 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 95,497 wounded in Israel's war in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave. The Hamas-led October 7 attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 1,190 people, mostly civilians, according to official Israeli figures. Some 250 people were taken hostage, with about 120 remaining in Gaza. Many have been declared dead by Israeli authorities.
Yesterday's key developments:
- The US ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield accused Israel’s military of striking schools, humanitarian workers and civilians in Gaza in a sign of growing American frustration with its close ally as the war approaches its first anniversary.
- Nothing justifies Israel's collective punishment of the people of Gaza as they endure "unimaginable" suffering, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told AFP.
Gaza’s health ministry collects data from the enclave’s hospitals and the Palestinian Red Crescent. For more on the health ministry’s casualty figures, click here.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
