September 30, 2024 | 00.26
READING: 3 minutes
An all-out war in the Middle East “must be avoided.” While tension remains very high after the killing of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli raid on Lebanon, the stop comes from the president of the United States, Joe Biden who has announced that he will speak with the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu.
The United States is “determined” to prevent Iran and Tehran-backed partners and proxies from “exploiting the situation or expanding the conflict”, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said, underlining that if Iran, its partners or its proxies “use this moment to target American personnel or interests in the region, the United States will take all necessary measures to defend our people.”
Netanyahu predicts more “difficult days”
For his part, Benjamin Netanyahu does not seem to want to give in. “We are still in the middle of a difficult war, the costs of which are heavy”, the prime minister announced yesterday at a press conference, letting it be known that “difficult days are still ahead”.
Meanwhile, the raids on Lebanon continue. Dozens of Hezbollah sites have been hit in the last few hours by Israeli Air Force fighter planes, the IDF said, according to which the targets also included suspected weapons depots and other facilities used by the Iran-backed organisation. .
Raid also on Yemen. “
But yesterday Israel also struck in Yemen. The Air Force conducted a raid on the port of Hodeidah, Yemen. This was reported by two Israeli officials quoted by Axios. According to a security source cited by the al-Hadath broadcaster, Israel targeted a power plant in the city in response to Houthi missile attacks. Hodeidah International Airport and two fuel tanks were also hit.
The toll of the Israeli raid is four dead and 33 injured, the Yemeni Ministry of Health said, as reported by the rebel broadcaster al-Masirah.
“The message is clear, for us, nowhere is too far,” Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said on X following the Israeli incursion into Yemen.
Nasrallah’s successor chosen
Meanwhile, after the killing of Nasrallah – who according to Israel suffocated inside the bunker – Hezbollah is closing ranks. The Shura Council yesterday chose Hashem Safieddine as general secretary of the Lebanese movement, sources told al-Arabiya. Safieddine, 59, a cousin of the late leader, has long been considered Nasrallah’s “right-hand man” playing a crucial role in the party’s internal management.
Nasrallah’s funeral, initially announced for today in Beirut, has been postponed.
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