Israel attacks Lebanon on eve of Oct 7 grim anniversary; Hezbollah hits back | Latest updates

Israel continued its bombardment in Lebanon with a new round of airstrikes in Beirut suburbs on the eve of the grim October 7 Hamas attack anniversary.

Israel continued its bombardment in Lebanon with a new round of airstrikes in Beirut suburbs on the eve of the grim October 7 Hamas attack anniversary on Sunday. A separate Israeli strike earlier in the day on the town of Qamatiyeh southeast of Beirut killed six people, including three children, Lebanon's health ministry state. In retaliation, Hezbollah attacked Israel's Haifa on Monday morning.

Flames and smoke rise from an Israeli airstrike in Dahiyeh, Beirut, Lebanon (AP)

Here are the latest updates on the Lebanon crisis:

1. Beirut’s skyline lit up again on Sunday with new airstrikes, a day after Israel’s heaviest bombardment of the southern suburbs known as the Dahiyeh since it escalated its air campaign in September. The Israeli military confirmed the attack, saying it was targeting Hezbollah, the Iran-backed militant group.
2. Hezbollah, in retaliation, attacked Israel's third-largest city, Haifa - which led to injuring 10 people. In a statement, Hezbollah said it targeted a military base south of Haifa with a salvo of "Fadi 1" missiles. According to the Israeli police, some people reported minor injuries and buildings and properties were damaged, reported Reuters.
3. While Lebanon has reported more than 30 strikes overnight, the Israeli military said that about 130 projectiles had crossed from Lebanon into Israeli territory, reported AP.
4. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday vowed to achieve victory and said his country's military "completely transformed reality" in the year since Hamas's October 7 attack. He assured the Israeli troops that they “will win”.
5. The Israeli army chief, Lieutenant General Herzi Halevi, said that one year on, they have “defeated the military wing of Hamas”.
6. Israel has vowed to strike Iran after a ballistic missile attack on Israel last week. Meanwhile, the country is also on high alert on Monday, given the memorial events for the October 7 attack.
7. According to Hezbollah, Israel is obstructing search and rescue efforts in an area where senior Hezbollah leader Hashem Safieddine is thought to have been when Israel bombed Beirut's southern suburbs, reported Reuters. Safieddine is seen as a likely successor to former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Beirut.
8. The widening conflict between Israel and Iran risks further drawing in the United States, which has provided crucial military and diplomatic support to Israel. Iran-allied militant groups in Syria, Iraq and Yemen have joined in with long-distance strikes on Israel, reported AP.
9. The United Nations peacekeepers (UNIFIL) in Lebanon's war-ravaged south warned on Sunday that Israel's operations near one of their positions were dangerous and compromised their safety. The appeal came a day after UNIFIL said it would not leave positions in the south despite what it said was an Israeli request to “relocate”.
10. French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday reaffirmed his country's “unwavering commitment” to Israel's security in a phone call with Netanyahu. He also insisted on a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.

(With inputs from agencies)