Live updates: Follow the latest on Israel-Gaza
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem on Saturday said the group would not accept continued Israeli attacks on Lebanon, a day after the first strike on Beirut since a fragile November truce.
“This aggression must end. Israel … bombed Beirut's southern suburbs for the first time since the truce … we cannot allow this to continue,” Mr Qassem said in a televised address.
“If Israel believes it can impose a new equation by using false pretexts … to attack the south, the Bekaa and the southern suburbs of Beirut, this is unacceptable.”
Israeli strikes hit the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Friday for the first time since a ceasefire was agreed between Israel and Hezbollah in November. Despite the truce, Israel has not stopped bombarding south Lebanon and continues to occupy five positions in Lebanese territory where it was supposed to withdraw from.
The strikes flattened a building in the Hadath neighbourhood, seriously injuring one person.
“The equation has changed,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. “We will continue to enforce the ceasefire with force, strike everywhere in Lebanon against any threat to the state of Israel.”
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz had earlier said “there will be no quiet in Beirut either” if there is none in northern Israel.
A week ago, three rockets were launched from south Lebanon at Israel. The Israeli army responded with a major bombing campaign of south Lebanon, leading to several deaths. Hezbollah denied responsibility for the rocket attacks.
A Lebanese security source told The National that the “improvised” nature of the launch sites used in the attack indicated that it was “unlikely” that Hezbollah was involved.
Following the Beirut strike, Hezbollah cancelled a rally it had been scheduled to hold in the southern suburbs on Friday to mark Quds Day.
“It is still possible to resolve the situation through political and diplomatic means, but … there is a limit to everything,” Mr Qassem said, calling on the Lebanese state to act.
If “the Lebanese state fails to achieve the necessary results politically, we will be forced to resort to other options,” he added, without elaborating.
Lebanese President Joseph Aoun was in France when the strikes on Beirut occurred. French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday, speaking next to Mr Aoun, called the Israeli air strikes on Lebanon “unacceptable”, saying it was a “violation of the ceasefire” agreed in November.
“There is no activity that justifies such strikes,” Mr Macron said.
US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce after the Beirut strikes said Lebanon must disarm Hezbollah as agreed under the terms of the truce.
“The reason that any attacks have happened is because terrorists launched rockets into Israel from Lebanon. That is a violation of the cessation of hostilities. It is a violation of the ceasefire when terrorist groups, when armed groups, shoot rockets,” Ms Bruce said.
“As part of the cessation of hostilities agreement, the government of Lebanon is responsible for disarming Hezbollah, and we expect the Lebanese armed forces to disarm these terrorists to prevent further hostilities,” she said.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Porsche Macan T: The Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 265hp from 5,000-6,500rpm
Torque: 400Nm from 1,800-4,500rpm
Transmission: 7-speed dual-clutch auto
Speed: 0-100kph in 6.2sec
Top speed: 232kph
Fuel consumption: 10.7L/100km
On sale: May or June
Price: From Dh259,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National selections
Al Ain
5pm: Bolereau
5.30pm: Rich And Famous
6pm: Duc De Faust
6.30pm: Al Thoura
7pm: AF Arrab
7.30pm: Al Jazi
8pm: Futoon
Jebel Ali
1.45pm: AF Kal Noor
2.15pm: Galaxy Road
2.45pm: Dark Thunder
3.15pm: Inverleigh
3.45pm: Bawaasil
4.15pm: Initial
4.45pm: Tafaakhor
EMILY%20IN%20PARIS%3A%20SEASON%203
%3Cp%3ECreated%20by%3A%20Darren%20Star%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Lily%20Collins%2C%20Philippine%20Leroy-Beaulieu%2C%20Ashley%20Park%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%202.75%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
THE BIO
Favourite author - Paulo Coelho
Favourite holiday destination - Cuba
New York Times or Jordan Times? NYT is a school and JT was my practice field
Role model - My Grandfather
Dream interviewee - Che Guevara
The National in Davos
We are bringing you the inside story from the World Economic Forum's Annual Meeting in Davos, a gathering of hundreds of world leaders, top executives and billionaires.
More on animal trafficking
Vaccine Progress in the Middle East
The Bio
Favourite place in UAE: Al Rams pearling village
What one book should everyone read: Any book written before electricity was invented. When a writer willingly worked under candlelight, you know he/she had a real passion for their craft
Your favourite type of pearl: All of them. No pearl looks the same and each carries its own unique characteristics, like humans
Best time to swim in the sea: When there is enough light to see beneath the surface
The Energy Research Centre
Founded 50 years ago as a nuclear research institute, scientists at the centre believed nuclear would be the “solution for everything”.
Although they still do, they discovered in 1955 that the Netherlands had a lot of natural gas. “We still had the idea that, by 2000, it would all be nuclear,” said Harm Jeeninga, director of business and programme development at the centre.
"In the 1990s, we found out about global warming so we focused on energy savings and tackling the greenhouse gas effect.”
The energy centre’s research focuses on biomass, energy efficiency, the environment, wind and solar, as well as energy engineering and socio-economic research.
Blue%20Beetle
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Angel%20Manuel%20Soto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EXolo%20Mariduena%2C%20Adriana%20Barraza%2C%20Damian%20Alcazar%2C%20Raoul%20Max%20Trujillo%2C%20Susan%20Sarandon%2C%20George%20Lopez%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
