Closing summary
Thank you for following along today. Below is a roundup of today’s stories:
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the country would give a “harsh” response to those it believes responsible for the deadly strike on Golan Heights in an escalation of rhetoric despite calls for calm. “The state of Israel will not and cannot let this pass. Our response will come, and it will be harsh,” he said.
Two senior Israeli defence officials have told Reuters that Israel wants to hurt Hezbollah but does not want to drag the region into an all out war, while two other officials said the country was preparing for the possibility of a few days of fighting. “The estimation is that the response will not lead to an all-out war,” said the diplomatic source. “That would not be in our interest at this point.”
An Israeli drone strike outside the southern Lebanese town of Shaqra on Monday killed two people and wounded three, including a child, according to the Lebanese civil defense. The rescue service did not say whether those killed were fighters or civilians.
Western governments have called for calm and some have advised their citizens to leave Lebanon. The foreign ministry in Berlin called on the about 1,300 German nationals who were believed to be in the country to get out “as long as there is still time”. Italian foreign minister Antonio Tajani discussed preventing a new war in the Middle East with his Israeli and Lebanese counterparts, Israel Katz and Bou Habib on Monday.
The Cypriot foreign minister said the country is on standby to assist in the evacuation of civilians from the Middle East if a standoff between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon escalates. “We are all hoping it won’t be necessary, but should that not happen, Cyprus will continue to operate as a safety bridge in facilitating the departure of civilians from any embattled zone in our area,” said Constantinos Kombos.
Gaza’s health ministry has declared a polio epidemic across the besieged city, blaming Israel’s military offensive.
