Israel prepares for possible ground incursion in Lebanon as world leaders push for ceasefire. Catch up here

 

People inspect the site of an Israeli air strike in Jiyeh along the highway linking Beirut to the southern city of Sidon on September 25, 2024. 

Mahmoud Zayyat/AFP/Getty Images

United Nations chief António Guterres has warned that Lebanon is “on the brink,” calling on Israel and Hezbollah to “stop the killing and destruction.” He said the country had been experiencing its bloodiest period “in a generation” since their conflict escalated.

Joining the push to prevent a regional war from erupting, the US and 10 of its allies called for a 21-day ceasefire across the Israel-Lebanon border.

Calls for de-escalation ramped up after Israel’s military said it was preparing for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon and had called up two reserve brigades “for operational missions in the northern sector.”

Here’s what to know:

• Possible ground incursion: Airstrikes in Lebanon this week were aiming to destroy Hezbollah’s infrastructure and pave the way for Israeli forces to be on the ground, the head of Israel’s military said.
• Hezbollah strikes back: A Hezbollah missile intercepted near Tel Aviv was the first fired by the militant group to reach close to the city, the Israeli military said. Hezbollah said it had targeted the headquarters of Israel’s intelligence service Mossad, which it blames for attacks targeting its members, including the explosions of thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies last week.
• Wednesday death toll: Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon killed 81 yesterday. At least 403 others were wounded.
• Tens of thousands displaced: More than 90,000 people are newly displaced in Lebanon, according to the UN. Some of these people will “likely” include those who fled their homes since Israel and Hezbollah traded fire in the aftermath of the October 7 Hamas attacks on southern Israel last year.
• People flee to Syria: Since Tuesday, at least 6,697 Lebanese and 17,850 Syrians have crossed the border into Syria. Many fleeing have no concrete plans after they cross, a UNHCR Middle East spokesperson warned. Syria has formed an “operations room” to help the thousands of Syrians and Lebanese crossing into the country.
• What about Gaza? US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Hamas had not engaged in the ceasefire and hostage negotiations over the past few weeks. He again argued that there were very few issues that needed to be resolved on the potential agreement. In recent days, senior US officials had largely stopped making a vigorous push on the ceasefire negotiations, sources told CNN, having determined there is currently no political will on either side – Hamas or Israel’s – to end the conflict.
• Hostage families slam Netanyahu: Families of hostages held in Gaza said they fear the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah could “overshadow” the plight of their loved ones. Israel’s Hostages and Missing Families Forum harshly criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for not mentioning those still being held in Gaza in his speech about Lebanon, calling it “a blatant and total disregard for the existence of the hostages” still in the enclave.