🔴 Live: New Israeli strikes on Lebanon as the UN voices 'strong concerns' for peacekeepers

A member of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) is seen in Lebanon. © Anwar Amro, AFP

Israel's military launched fresh strikes Tuesday on eastern Lebanon, local media reported, as Hezbollah said its fighters clashed with Israeli troops on the outskirts of a southern village. The UN Security Council voiced "strong concerns" late Monday over the UN peacekeepers wounded by the strikes in Lebanon as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed they would continue. Follow our liveblog for all the latest developments on the war in the Middle East.

Summary:

• The chief of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ Quds Force, Esmail Qaani, attended the Tehran funeral of a slain Guards general who was killed alongside Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike in Beirut last month.                                                                     

• The UN Security Council voiced "strong concerns" Monday after incidents in which UN peacekeepers in Lebanon have been wounded as Israel presses its campaign against Hezbollah militants.                                                                                                     

• UN peacekeepers will stay in all positions in Lebanon despite Israeli calls for them to move amid intensifying fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and five personnel suffering injuries, the UN peacekeeping chief has said.                                                                 

• Israel has lauded new sanctions on Iran by the EU and UK over Tehran's transfer of missiles and drones to Russia for use against Ukraine.                                                    

• More than 42,289 Palestinians have been killed and 98,684 wounded in Israel's military offensive in Gaza since October 7, 2023 according to the Gaza health ministry. 

Yesterday's key developments:

• Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed to hit Hezbollah "without mercy" a day after a drone attack on a military base near Israel's Haifa killed at least four soldiers and wounded more than 60.
• An Israeli air strike hit an apartment building in northern Lebanon, killing at least 21 people, according to Lebanese health officials and the Red Cross.
• The European Union condemned attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon and rejected Israeli allegations that the UN was keeping them there to obstruct military operations against Hezbollah.
• An Israeli air strike on the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in central Gaza killed at least four people and left dozens with severe burns, Palestinian medics said. 

(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)