Middle East crisis live: air raid sirens reported in central Israel; US and European leaders ‘outraged’ over attacks on UN peacekeepers

8.50pm BST

We reported earlier that air raid sirens sounded in several areas in central Israel, which the Israeli military said was due to a “hostile aircraft infiltration”.

Roughly 20 minutes after the alert, Israel’s military said the incident had ended.

8.40pm BST

Biden 'absolutely' asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers

Joe Biden said he is asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers in Lebanon , after two incidents in which Blue Helmets were wounded by Israeli forces.

Asked by a reporter at the White House if he was asking Israel to stop, the US president replied on Friday:

Absolutely, positively.

8.13pm BST

Air raid sirens reported in central Israel

Sirens have been heard in several areas in central Israel on Friday night.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said sirens sounded regarding a “hostile aircraft infiltration” on Friday.

It added that details are under review.

Updated at 8.31pm BST

8.06pm BST

Sri Lanka’ s foreign ministry has “strongly” condemned the Israel i attack on the UN peacekeeping mission’s base in southern Lebanon on Friday, which led to two Sri Lankan soldiers injured.

A statement from the ministry reads:

Sri Lanka strongly condemns the attack at Unifil’s headquarters in Naqoura, South Lebanon injuring two Sri Lankan UN peacekeepers. Sri Lanka upholds the obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and inviolability of UN premises at all times.

7.56pm BST

The joint statement came after separate comments by the leaders of France, Italy and Spain at a summit of European and Mediterranean leaders in Cyprus, after the Israeli military confirmed two UN peacekeepers were injured after its forces fired at a “threat” near a UN mission position in southern Lebanon.

Giorgia Meloni, Italy’s prime minister, condemned the firing as “unacceptable” and said it “violates what is established under UN resolution 1701” which governs the peacekeepers’ presence”. Italy has more than 1,000 troops in Lebanon.

Pedro Sánchez, Meloni’s Spanish counterpart, demanded an “end to all violence” against UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. He said:

This is absolutely unacceptable, it is totally unacceptable and we demand an end to all violence which, unfortunately, the Blue Helmets are suffering.

Emmanuel Macron, France’s president, said it was “absolutely unacceptable” that peacekeepers were “deliberately targeted”.

The French foreign ministry also summoned the Israeli ambassador, saying the incident constituted “serious violations of international law and must cease immediately”.

7.38pm BST

European leaders 'outraged' over Israeli attacks on UN peacekeepers in Lebanon

The leaders of France, Italy and Spain have released a joint statement condemning the recent targeting of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon by the Israel i military.

These attacks were “unjustifiable” and constitute a “serious violation of the obligations of Israel” under humanitarian international law, the statement said. It went on to say:

We recall that all peacekeepers must be protected and reiterate our praise for the continued and indispensable commitment of Unifil troops/personnel in this very challenging context.

France, Italy and Spain make up the largest European contributors to Unifil in terms of personnel.

In the joint statement, they called for an immediate ceasefire and said they counted on “Israel’s commitment to the security of UN and bilateral peacekeeping missions in Lebanon as well as international organisations active in the region”.

7.31pm BST

At least 34 Palestinians have been killed in Israel i strikes in Gaza on Friday, nearly half of who were killed in Jabalia, the northern district which is the largest of Gaza’s refugee camps.

At least 15 of the fatalities in Jabalia since Friday dawn were due to Israeli strikes targeting various areas, including a school sheltering displaced individuals, Reuters reported, citing the official Palestinian news agency Wafa.

As we reported earlier, dozens of Palestinians were wounded by Israeli quadcopter fire at the same school.

7.15pm BST

Thousands trapped in Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp as Israeli forces attack the area, says MSF

Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières has said that thousands of Palestinians are trapped in Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, including five of its staff who are “fearing for their lives”.

Israeli forces issued evacuation orders for Jabalia camp on earlier this week “while carrying out attacks at the same time, preventing people from leaving the area safely,” the medical charity said on Friday.

“Nobody is allowed to get in or out – anyone who tries is getting shot,” MSF project coordinator Sarah Vuylsteke said.

Haydar, an MSF driver trapped in Jabalia camp, said:

We were staying at the Al-Yemen Al-Saeed Hospital, but they bombed it. About 20 people were killed. I don’t know what to do, at any moment we could die. People are starving. I am afraid to stay, and I am also afraid to leave.

The charity called on Israeli forces to stop forced displacements and to stop the “all-out war on the people of Gaza”.

6.48pm BST

UN humanitarian chief says relief agency under unprecedented 'assault and attack'

Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini said the UN relief agency “has never, ever been as much under assault and attack”. He told Reuters:

A year ago, it was primarily a financial existential threat, but today it’s a combination of a political and financial threat. 2025 will be, again, a difficult year

Unrwa, one of the UN’s largest agencies, has 13,000 staff working in Gaza and more than 30,000 in the region providing health and educational facilities to Palestinian refugees.

In July, the Israeli parliament gave preliminary approval to a bill that would declare Unrwa a “terrorist organisation”. Israeli leaders have accused Unrwa staff of collaborating with Hamas in Gaza, leading to many western donors to suspend funding.

Lazzarini has previously accused Israel’s government of campaigning to drive Unrwa out of existence, warning that it would “devastating consequences” for the UN and the Palestinian cause.

Updated at 6.55pm BST

6.35pm BST

The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, said most Palestinian refugees living in camps in southern Lebanon or near Beirut have fled after escalating Israeli strikes.

Unrwa chief Philippe Lazzarini , in an interview with Reuters on Friday, said that repeatedly fleeing was sadly “part of the history” of Palestinians. Lazzarini said:

That’s part, unfortunately, of the plight, but if you compare with what happened also in Gaza recently, you might have heard me describing how people are constantly being moved like pinballs. And one of the fears is that we replicate a situation similar to the one we have seen until now in Gaza.

Many of the Palestinians who arrived in Lebanon after Israel’s creation in 1948, and their descendants, were living in 12 refugee camps around the country, which hosted about 174,000 Palestinian refugees.

Over the past three weeks, Israel has ramped up strikes across southern Lebanon and on Beirut’s southern suburbs, issuing evacuation warnings for more than 100 towns in southern Lebanon and neighbourhoods near the capital.

They include evacuation warnings and strikes on the Burj al-Barajneh Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut’s southern suburbs and Rashidiyeh Palestinian refugee camp near the southern coastal city of Tyre.

6.15pm BST

Israeli military says it fired at UN peacekeepers after identifying 'immediate threat'

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has confirmed it was responsible for wounding two UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Friday.

The UN peacekeepers were injured by an Israeli strike near their observation tower in south Lebanon, after Israeli forces “identified an immediate threat” and “responded with fire toward the threat”, according to the IDF. Their statement continues:

An initial examination indicates that during the incident, a hit was identified on a Unifil post, located approximately 50 meters (yards) from the source of the threat, resulting in the injury of two Unifil personnel.

The watchtower that came under Israeli fire on Friday is located at the mission’s main base in Naqoura.

As we reported earlier, Unifil said an Israeli bulldozer had also knocked over barriers at UN positions near the Blue Line denoting the frontier between Lebanon and Israel, while tanks had moved into the vicinity.

The IDF said it had instructed Unifil “to enter into protected spaces and remain there” hours before the incident.

The IDF statement came shortly after the military said it was “conducting a thorough review” to determine details of attacks on UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon, after the four mission members were injured.

5.48pm BST

Here’s more on that conversation between the US defense secretary, Lloyd Austin, and his Israeli counterpart, Yoav Gallant, earlier today.

According to the Pentagon’s press secretary, Maj Gen Pat Ryder, Austin reaffirmed ironclad support for Israel’s right to defend itself during the call.

Austin also reiterated the US’s commitment to a diplomatic arrangement that safely returns both Lebanese and Israeli civilians to their homes on both sides of the border, Ryder said.

Echoing Austin’s post on X, Ryder said the US secretary emphasised the importance of ensuring the safety of Unifil forces in the area and urged Israel to “pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible.”

5.40pm BST

US-made munition used in Israeli strike on central Beirut, shrapnel shows

A US -made munition was used in an Israeli strike on central Beirut that killed 22 people and wounded 117, according to an analysis of shrapnel found by the Guardian at the scene of the attack.

The strike on Thursday night hit an apartment complex in the densely populated neighbourhood of Basta, central Beirut, levelling the apartment building and destroying cars and the interiors of nearby residences.

It was the deadliest strike on Lebanon ’s capital city since fighting between Hezbollah and Israel started a year ago.

The Guardian found remnants of a US-manufactured joint direct attack munition (Jdam) in the rubble of the collapsed apartment building on Friday afternoon. Jdams are guidance kits built by the US aerospace company Boeing that attach to large “dumb bombs” ranging up to 2,000lbs (900kg), converting them into GPS-guided bombs.

The weapons remnant was verified by the crisis, conflict and arms division of Human Rights Watch and a former US military bomb technician.

Related: US-made munition used in Israeli strike on central Beirut, shrapnel shows

5.13pm BST

Here are some images coming through the newswires from Lebanon where Israeli forces have killed nearly 2,000 people – including at least 28 healthcare workers – in recent weeks while forcibly displacing 1.2 million people across the country:

4.42pm BST

US defense secretary to Israel: 'I urged ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces'

US defense secretary Lloyd Austin said he spoke to Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant on Thursday evening and urged “ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces.”

Austin added on X:

“I urged ensuring the safety of UNIFIL forces and coordinating efforts to pivot from military operations to a diplomatic pathway as soon as feasible. I made clear that the United States is well postured to defend US personnel, partners, and allies against attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed partners and proxies. Minister Gallant and I reiterated our commitment to preventing any actor from exploiting tensions or expanding the conflict in the region. We also discussed urgent steps to address the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.”

The conversation between Austin and Gallant comes after the UN said Israeli forces fired on two UNIFIL peacekeepers stationed in southern Lebanon and “repeatedly hit” UNIFIL’s Naqoura headquarters. The two peacekeepers remain hospitalised, the UN said on Thursday.

The UN added :

“We remind the IDF and all actors of their obligations to ensure the safety and security of UN personnel and property and to respect the inviolability of UN premises at all times.”

Since Israel launched its war on Gaza last October and most recently Lebanon, nearly 300 humanitarian aid workers, including over two-thirds being UN staff, have been killed during the conflict.

In May, the Human Rights Watch released a report in which it stated that Israeli forces are attacking known aid worker locations in the region.

“This pattern of attacks despite proper notification of Israeli authorities raises serious questions about Israel’s commitment and capacity to comply with international humanitarian law, which some countries, including the UK , rely on to continue to license arms exports that end up in Israel,” the HRW added.

4.14pm BST

Interim Summary

Here’s a look at where things currently stand:

• The Lebanese Red Cross said it deployed ambulances and volunteers “within minutes to treat and transport the injured, and search and rescue teams worked throughout the night” after strikes in Beirut on Thursday evening. Speaking from Beirut, Gabriel Karlsson, the British Red Cross Middle East manager, said that the Lebanese Red Cross were one of the first on the scene responding.

• Dozens of Palestinians have been injured by Israeli quadcopter fire at a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza’s Jabalia refugee camp, the civil defence said on Friday. Reuters reports that the civil defence said its crews were transferring the injured to a nearby hospital.

• More than 42,126 Palestinians have been killed and 98,117 injured in Israel’s war on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday. Meanwhile, two million survivors have been forcibly displaced across the narrow strip amid shortages in food, water and medical supplies due to Israeli aid restrictions.

• German chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Turkey next week to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the escalating conflict in the Middle East and migration on the agenda, German officials said on Friday. Scholz will hold talks with Erdogan on 19 October in Istanbul, followed by a press conference, government spokesperson Wolfgang Buechner told a media briefing in Berlin.

• US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday there was deep concern in Asia about the prospect of conflict spreading in the Middle East, as the U.N. chief called for everything possible to be done to avoid “all-out war” in Lebanon . Reuters reports that the conflict in the Middle East was a central issue during Friday’s east Asia summit in Laos.

• Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday urged the international community to stop selling weapons to Israel as he condemned attacks by Israel’s armed forces against the United Nations’ peacekeeping force in Lebanon, reports Reuters. Israeli forces fired at an observation post used by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Friday, injuring two, a UN source said, the third day in a row peacekeepers have reported Israeli fire at their positions as Israel wages war on Hezbollah.

• UN officials voiced concerns on Friday that an Israeli offensive and evacuation orders in northern Gaza might affect the second phase of its polio vaccination campaign scheduled to start next week, Reuters reports. Aid groups carried out an initial round of vaccinations last month, after a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus in August, in the first such case in the territory in 25 years.

3.54pm BST

Concerns over a wider conflict in the Middle East have prompted international airlines to suspend flights to the region or to avoid affected airspace.

Below are some of the airlines that have adjusted services to and from the region, according to a list compiled by the Reuters news agency:

• Aegean Airlines: The Greek airline cancelled flights to and from Beirut until 31 October and to and from Tel Aviv until 21 October.

• Air Algérie: The Algerian airline suspended flights to and from Lebanon until further notice.

• airBaltic: Latvia’s airBaltic cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until 31 October.

• Air Europa: The Spanish airline cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until 20 October.

• Air France-KLM: Air France extended its suspension of Paris-Tel Aviv flights until 15 October and Paris-Beirut flights until 26 October. KLM extended the suspension of flights to Tel Aviv until the end of this year at least. The Franco-Dutch group’s low-cost unit Transavia cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut until end of March.

• Air India: The Indian flag carrier suspended flights to and from Tel Aviv until further notice.

• Bulgaria Air: The Bulgarian carrier cancelled flights to and from Israel until 31 October.

• Cathay Pacific: Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until 25 October 2025.

• Cyprus Airways: The Cypriot carrier cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until 13 October.

• Delta Air Lines: The US carrier paused flights between New York and Tel Aviv through to 31 December.

• EasyJet: The UK budget airline stopped flying to and from Tel Aviv in April and will resume flights on 30 March 2025.

• Emirates: UAE’s state-owned airline cancelled flights to Beirut through to 15 October and flights to and from Iraq and Iran until 16 October.

• Ethiopian Airlines: The Ethiopian carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice, it said in a Facebook post on 4 October.

• flydubai: The Emirati airline suspended Dubai-Beirut flights until 31 October, a flydubai spokesperson said.

• IAG: IAG-owned British Airways cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv through to 26 October. IAG’s low-cost airline I beria Expres s cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until 31 October, while Vueling cancelled operations to Tel Aviv until 12 January 2025, and to Amman until further notice.

• Iran Air: The Iranian airline cancelled Beirut flights until further notice.

• Iraqi Airways: The Iraqi national carrier suspended flights to Beirut until further notice.

• ITA Airways: Italy’s ITA Airways extended the suspension of Tel Aviv flights through to 31 October.

• LOT: The Polish flag carrier cancelled flights to Tel Aviv until 26 October, while its first scheduled flight to Beirut is planned for 1 April 2025.

• Lufthansa Group: The German airline group suspended flights to Tel Aviv until 31 October, to Tehran until 26 October and to Beirut until 30 November. It will not use Iranian and Iraqi airspace until further notice, aside from a corridor used for flights to and from Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. Israeli airspace will not be used until 31 October.
  SunExpress , a joint venture between Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines , suspended flights to Beirut through to 17 December.

• Pegasus: The Turkish airline cancelled flights to Beirut until 28 October.

• Qatar Airways: The Qatari airline temporarily suspended flights to and from Iraq, Iran and Lebanon, while flights to Amman will operate during daylight hours only.

• Ryanair: Europe’s biggest budget airline cancelled flights to and from Tel Aviv until the end of December. Group CEO Michael O’Leary on 3 October told journalists the suspension was likely to be extended until the end of March.

• Sundair: The German airline cancelled flights from Berlin, Bremen and Muenster/Osnabrueck to Beirut until 8 December.

• United Airlines: The Chicago-based airline suspended flights to Tel Aviv for the foreseeable future.

• TAROM: Romania’s flag carrier extended the suspension of Beirut flights until 22 October.

• Virgin Atlantic: The UK carrier extended suspension of Tel Aviv flights until end-March 2025.

• Wizz Air: The Hungary-based airline suspended flights to and from Israel and Jordan through to 13 October.

3.43pm BST

Two UN soldiers in southern Lebanon have been injured after the United Nations Interim Force (Unifil) headquarters in Naquora were affected by explosions for the second time in 48 hours, the international peacekeeping force has said.

One injured peacekeeper was taken to a hospital in Tyre , while the second is being treated in Naqoura .

Unifil described the attacks as a “grave violation of international humanitarian law” detailing an Israeli Defence Force attempt to take down permiter walls of one of its posts in the buffer zone separating southern Lebanon and Israel .

Unifil said in a statement:

Several T-walls (concrete blast barriers) at our UN position 1-31, near the blue line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF caterpillar hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position. Our peacekeepers remained at the location, and a Unifil quick reaction force was dispatched to assist and reinforce the position.

These incidents put again UN peacekeepers, who are serving in south Lebanon at the request of the security council under resolution 1701 (2006), at very serious risks.

This is a serious development, and Unifil reiterates that the safety and security of UN personnel and property must be guaranteed and that the inviolability of UN premises must be respected at all times.

Any deliberate attack on peacekeepers is a grave violation of international humanitarian law and security council resolution 1701 (2006).”

It follows an attack yesterday which saw two Indonesians injured.

The Irish Defence Forces confirmed all its troops were safe and had “not been directly affected by incoming fire” and all necessary protection measures were being “diligently observed” at UN post 6-52 where it is in command.

3.42pm BST

You can see the Israeli army statement referred to earlier ( see 3.19pm BST ) via the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) international spokesperson LTC Nadav Shoshani’s post on X:

The IDF has been notified of that two UN peacekeepers were inadvertently hurt during IDF combat against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The IDF expresses deep concern over incidents of this kind and is currently conducting a thorough review at the highest levels of command to determine the details.”

3.19pm BST

Israeli military conducting review after UN peacekeepers hurt in Lebanon

The Israeli military is conducting a thorough review after being notified that two UN peacekeepers were “inadvertently” hurt in southern Lebanon , the Israeli army said in a statement on Friday, according to Reuters.

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon on Friday warned of “very serious risks” for their blue helmets after explosions wounded two mission members near the Israeli border, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Israel and Hezbollah have been clashing in south Lebanon since last week when Israel announced “targeted” incursions into Lebanon against the Lebanese militant group, which is backed by Iran .

Friday’s incidents came after peacekeeping mission Unifil said its positions had been “repeatedly hit” and two Indonesian blue helmets were injured on Thursday, sparking a wave of international condemnation.

On Friday morning, “Unifil’s Naqura headquarters was affected by explosions for the second time in the last 48 hours. Two peacekeepers were injured after two explosions occurred close to an observation tower,” the peacekeeping mission said, reports AFP.

A Unifil spokesperson said the injured peacekeepers are Sri Lankan .

In addition, several blast walls “at our UN position 1-31, near the blue line in Labbouneh, fell when an IDF Caterpillar hit the perimeter and IDF tanks moved in the proximity of the UN position”.

“These incidents put again UN peacekeepers, who are serving in south Lebanon at the request of the securitycouncil under resolution 1701 (2006), at very serious risks,” Unifil said in a statement.

Earlier, Lebanon’s foreign ministry said the Israeli army targeted “watchtowers and the main Unifil base in Ras Naqura, and on the Sri Lankan battalion’s base, which led to a number of wounded”.

Lebanon’s official National News Agency said an Israeli “Merkava tank targeted one of the Unifil towers on the main road linking Tyre and Naqura”, wounding the Sri Lankan personnel.

Hezbollah said on Friday said it fired rockets at Israel troops in Ras Naqura , reports AFP.

In the earlier incident, on Thursday, Unifil said an Israeli tank fired towards a watchtower at the mission’s Naqura headquarters, hitting it and causing two peacekeepers to fall, with injuries.

The incident sparked condemnation from European members of the mission as well as China .

On Thursday, Israel’s military said its forces had opened fire in the area of the UN base, after telling the peacekeepers to stay protected, as Hezbollah fighters were operating in the area.

Human Rights Watch on Friday called for a UN inquiry “on Israeli attacks on peacekeepers” in Lebanon.

3.05pm BST

Further to the news that France has summoned Israel ’s ambassador over an incident where Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon ( see 2.36pm BST ), Reuters has shared a quote from the French foreign ministry.

“These attacks constitute serious violations of international law and must stop immediately,” the ministry said.

France has about 700 troops as part of the Unifil mission. None of its troops has been wounded so far, reports Reuters.

The ministry said that all sides in the conflict had an obligation to protect peacekeepers.

2.59pm BST

The Lebanese Red Cross said it deployed ambulances and volunteers “within minutes to treat and transport the injured, and search and rescue teams worked throughout the night” after strikes in Beirut on Thursday evening.

Speaking from Beirut, Gabriel Karlsson , the British Red Cross Middle East manager, said that the Lebanese Red Cross were one of the first on the scene responding.

Karlsson said:

The Lebanese Red Cross teams continue to be at the forefront of the humanitarian response.

Following the strikes yesterday, ambulances and volunteers were deployed within minutes to treat and transport the injured, and search and rescue teams worked throughout the night.

Through the Gaza crisis appeal, the British Red Cross will continue to support the Lebanese Red Cross, and national societies across the wider region, as the humanitarian needs increase.”

Updated at 3.01pm BST

2.36pm BST

France summons Israeli ambassador over shots fired at Lebanese Unifil mission

France has summoned Israel ’s ambassador over an incident where Israeli troops opened fire at three positions held by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon , including at Unifil ’s main base at Naqoura , the French foreign ministry said on Friday.

2.27pm BST

Dozens injured by Israeli fire at Gaza school shelter, civil defence says

Dozens of Palestinians have been injured by Israeli quadcopter fire at a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza ’s Jabalia refugee camp, the civil defence said on Friday.

Reuters reports that the civil defence said its crews were transferring the injured to a nearby hospital.

2.19pm BST

UN interim forces in Lebanon (Unifil) said on Friday that an Israel Defense Forces (IDF) bulldozer knocked over barriers at UN position 1-31 near the blue line in Labbouneh , reports Reuters.

Unifil said IDF tanks had also moved into the proximity of the UN position.

Updated at 2.20pm BST

2.06pm BST

The EU will designate individuals or organisations for sanctions over Iranian transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia , a high-ranking EU official said on Friday, reports Reuters.

“We also expect … on Monday a first package of designations in the context of Iran’s transfer of ballistic missiles to Russia,” the official told reporters. He did not immediately provide further details.

1.48pm BST

The Guardian graphics team have shared this updated map of geolocated strikes in Beirut , Lebanon , which also includes the buildings identified as targets by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) :

The 10 October strikes refer to the most recent two strikes in central Beirut.

1.39pm BST

UN secretary general António Guterres , who condemned an attack by Israeli forces on a watchtower that injured two UN peacemakers from Indonesia ( see 1pm BST ), said the incident violated international law and must not be repeated.

He said any spread of fighting in the Middle East would have dramatically negative impacts on the whole world and called for maximum restraint from all sides.

He told a press conference on Friday:

I have never seen in my time as secretary general any example of death and destruction as dramatic as what we are witnessing here.

We are seeing escalation after escalation, a regionalisation of the conflict that is becoming a threat to global peace and security.

We see an enormous tragedy in Lebanon. And we must do everything to avoid an all-out war.

Updated at 1.53pm BST

1.24pm BST

Blinken says Asia concerned about spread of Middle East conflict

US secretary of state Antony Blinken said on Friday there was deep concern in Asia about the prospect of conflict spreading in the Middle East , as the U.N. chief called for everything possible to be done to avoid “all-out war” in Lebanon.

Reuters reports that the conflict in the Middle East was a central issue during Friday’s east Asia summit in Laos , where Blinken said Washington was dedicated to using diplomacy to try to control the situation in the face of what he called an Iranian -led axis of resistance.

“The intense focus of the United States, which has been the case going back a year … (is) preventing these conflicts from spreading. And we’re working on that every day,” Blinken told a press conference.

He added:

We’re working very hard through deterrence and through diplomacy to prevent that from happening. There’s also obviously deep concern that we share about the plight of children, women, and men in Gaza.”

The US has stressed to Israel the importance of meeting the humanitarian needs of people in Gaza , Blinken said, adding it was in Israel’s interest that people forced from their homes by hostilities in Lebanon are able to return.

The annual summit of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) also included meetings with leaders and top diplomats from India , China , Japan , the US, Russia , South Korea , Australia and New Zealand , as well as UN secretary general António Guterres .

Updated at 1.28pm BST

1.00pm BST

The UN secretary general António Guterres has condemned the Israeli attacks that injured two UN peacekeepers.

Speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Association of South-east Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Laos , Guterres said everything must be done to prevent all-out war in Lebanon .

Updated at 2.03pm BST

12.54pm BST

German chancellor Olaf Scholz will visit Turkey next week to meet President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan with the escalating conflict in the Middle East and migration on the agenda, German officials said on Friday.

Scholz will hold talks with Erdogan on 19 October in Istanbul , followed by a press conference, government spokesperson Wolfgang Buechner told a media briefing in Berlin .

“The war in Ukraine will be the subject of the talks, as will the situation in the Middle East. Migration and bilateral and economic policy issues will also be on the agenda,” Buechner said.

Updated at 2.02pm BST

12.51pm BST

The UN said it was “appalled” by inflammatory language surrounding the war between Israel and Hezbollah and asked leaders to end their “bellicose posturing”.

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week urged the Lebanese people to rise up against Hezbollah, or risk a similar fate to Hamas -run Gaza , Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.

“We are appalled by sweeping inflammatory language on multiple sides,” UN human rights office spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a media briefing in Geneva on Friday.

Shamdasani said:

Recent language threatening Lebanese people as a whole and calling on them to either rise up against Hezbollah or face destruction like Gaza, risks being understood as encouraging or accepting violence directed against civilians and civilian objects, in violation of international law.”

She also decried as “unacceptable” the “ongoing denigration of the UN, in particular Unrwa”, the UN agency supporting nearly six million Palestinian refugees spread across Gaza, the West Bank , Jordan , Lebanon and Syria .

“This kind of toxic rhetoric, from any source, must stop,” she said.

Israel’s ground forces crossed into Lebanon on 30 September with the aim of stopping Hezbollah’s cross-border fire in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas, after its 7 October attack, the worst in Israel’s history.

“The killing, destruction, as well as bellicose posturing by those in positions of power, must end,” Shamdasani said.

Updated at 2.02pm BST

12.46pm BST

The displacement of hundreds of thousands of people in Lebanon is “devastating”, a UN migration official has said, warning international support was falling short of the needs, amid intense Israeli bombing.

After a year of cross-border fire between Israel and Hezbollah , which launched attacks on Israel in support of its ally Hamas in Gaza , Israel last month escalated attacks on what it says are Hezbollah targets in Lebanon’s south, east and south Beirut , Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports.

The violence has killed hundreds of people in Lebanon and displaced more than one million others, most of them since 23 September, according to Lebanese authorities.

“With this wave of displacement, we see huge needs … the situation is devastating,” said Othman Belbeisi, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Middle East and north Africa director.

“Lebanon needs more support. What has been offered so far is minimal and does not match the needs,” he told AFP on Thursday during a visit to Beirut.

The IOM has “verified and tracked” 690,000 internally displaced people in Lebanon, Belbeisi said, noting about 400,000 others had reportedly fled the country, many of them for neighbouring Syria .

The UN has appealed for $426m to address the humanitarian crisis in the country over the next three months, including $32m for the IOM to assist 400,000 people, Belbeisi said.

Updated at 1.59pm BST

12.24pm BST

UN officials voice concerns that Israeli evacuation orders may affect second phase of polio vaccination

UN officials voiced concerns on Friday that an Israeli offensive and evacuation orders in northern Gaza might affect the second phase of its polio vaccination campaign scheduled to start next week, Reuters reports.

Aid groups carried out an initial round of vaccinations last month, after a baby was partially paralysed by the type 2 polio virus in August, in the first such case in the territory in 25 years.

As in the first phase, humanitarian pauses in the fighting in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas are planned in order to reach hundreds of thousands of children.

In Gaza’s north, the Israeli military has been pursuing an offensive in recent days, sending its troops into Jabalia , the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps, and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya.

“I am of course, concerned about the developments in the north, and specifically with these evacuation orders,” Rik Peeperkorn, World Health Organization (WHO) representative for the occupied Palestinian territory, told reporters in Genev a, saying dozens of healthcare facilities across the Gaza Strip were under such orders by the Israeli military.

Jean Gough , a Unicef special representative also voiced concern and described conditions as “more complicated” than in the first phase of the vaccination campaign last month. The first vaccinations are set to start in central Gaza on Monday, before moving to the south and then the north, she added.

Updated at 1.56pm BST

12.18pm BST

Israel ’s military chief and the head of its Shin Ben security agency held a security assessment inside southern Lebanon on Thursday, the military said on Friday.

“We continue to operate against the enemy and will not stop until we ensure that we can safely return the residents (evacuated from the north), not just now, but with a future outlook,” said Lt Gen Herzi Halevi , chief of the general staff , in a video of the gathering released by the military, according to Reuters.

He added:

If anyone considers rebuilding these villages again, they will know that it’s not worth constructing terrorist infrastructure because the IDF (Israel Defense Forces) will neutralise them again.”

Updated at 1.52pm BST

12.14pm BST

Starmer 'appalled' at Israeli attacks on peacekeepers

UK prime minister Keir Starmer was “appalled” to hear reports that Israel deliberately fired on peacekeepers in Lebanon , reports the PA news agency.

Asked about reports that Israeli forces fired at the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) , a Downing Street spokesperson said:

We were appalled to hear those reports and it is vital that peacekeepers and civilians are protected.

As you know, we continue to call for an immediate ceasefire and an end to suffering and bloodshed. This is a reminder of the importance of us all renewing our diplomatic efforts.”

Asked if the prime minister agrees with Irish leaders that this is a breach of international law, the spokesperson said:

All parties must always do everything possible to protect civilians and comply with international law. But we continue to reiterate that and call for an immediate ceasefire.”

Updated at 1.50pm BST

12.01pm BST

More than 42,126 Palestinians killed in Gaza since 7 October 2023, says health ministry

More than 42,126 Palestinians have been killed and 98,117 injured in Israel ’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October 2023, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Friday.

The ministry does not distinguished not distinguish between militant and civilian deaths.

11.54am BST

Thai national killed by anti-tank missile in Israel, says Thai embassy in Tel Aviv

A Thai migrant worker was killed this morning by an anti-tank missile in Yir’on , Israel , near the border with Lebanon , the Thai embassy in Tel Aviv has said.

Before the war, Israel was a common destination for Thai workers, with about 30,000 Thai nationals working there, mostly in agricultural jobs.

The Israeli government has previously said that Thai nationals made up the largest single group of foreign dead and missing in the Hamas attacks on 7 October. So far 23 Thai hostages have been released, while a further six remain in Gaza .

The death toll for Thai nationals in the conflict is now 42.

11.43am BST

More than 100 medics and emergency workers killed in Lebanon conflict over past year, UN rights office says

The UN human rights office said on Friday that more than 100 medics and emergency workers had been killed in Lebanon since a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah began a year ago, reports Reuters.

The conflict erupted when the Iran -backed group opened fire in support of Palestinian militant group Hamas at the start of the Gaza war. It has intensified dramatically in recent weeks, with Israel bombing parts of Beirut .

“In all, over 100 medical and emergency workers have been killed across Lebanon since October last year,” spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani told a UN briefing, citing figures she said were compiled by the United Nations humanitarian office.

“We’ve had several reports also of airstrikes targeting other medical centres and of paramedics as well as firefighters being killed,” she said.

World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that since 17 September, there had been 18 attacks on health facilities in Lebanon, killing 72 health workers.

Israel says it targets military capabilities in Lebanon and Gaza and takes steps to mitigate the risk of harm to civilians. It accuses Hezbollah, like Hamas, of hiding among civilians, which they deny.

11.24am BST

From sundown on Friday until nightfall on Saturday, Israeli markets will close, flights will stop and public transport will halt as most Jews fast and pray on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur.

But Israeli forces will continue operations against Hamas and Hezbollah , even as Israel’s top ally the US calls for de-escalation, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

US secretary of state Antony Blinken voiced hope on Friday for a diplomatic solution in Lebanon and averting a broader conflict, as he backed efforts by the fragile state to assert itself against Hezbollah.

“We continue to engage intensely to prevent broader conflict in the region,” Blinken said. He added:

It’s clear that the people of Lebanon have an interest – a strong interest – in the state asserting itself and taking responsibility for the country and its future.”

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week urged Lebanese people to rise up against Hezbollah, or risk a similar fate to the people of Hamas-run Gaza .

“You have an opportunity to save Lebanon before it falls into the abyss of a long war that will lead to destruction and suffering like we see in Gaza,” he said. “Free your country from Hezbollah so that this war can end.”

Updated at 11.25am BST

11.07am BST

Spanish PM criticises attacks on UN peacekeepers and calls for end to arm sales to Israel

Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez on Friday urged the international community to stop selling weapons to Israel as he condemned attacks by Israel’s armed forces against the United Nations ’ peacekeeping force in Lebanon , reports Reuters.

Israeli forces fired at an observation post used by UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon on Friday, injuring two, a UN source said, the third day in a row peacekeepers have reported Israeli fire at their positions as Israel wages war on Hezbollah .

None of the Spanish soldiers who were part of the mission were hit, the Spanish defence ministry said on Friday, according to Reuters.

Spain has deployed 650 peacekeepers in Lebanon and a Spanish general leads the mission.

“Let me at this point criticise and condemn the attacks that the Israeli armed forces are carrying out on the United Nations mission in Lebanon,” Sánchez, whose country has been critical of Israel in the recent escalation of the conflict in the Middle East , said after meeting Pope Francis at the Vatican .

Sánchez said Spain stopped selling weapons to Israel in October 2023 and urged the rest of the world to do the same to prevent further escalation in the region.

“I think it is urgent given what is happening in the Middle East that the international community stops exporting weapons to the Israeli government,” he said.

10.56am BST

Lebanon on Friday condemned an Israeli attack that it said injured United Nations peacekeepers in the country’s south.

On Thursday, the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon, Unifil , said Israeli fire on their headquarters in south Lebanon left two blue helmets injured.

In central Beirut , AFPTV footage showed two plumes of smoke billowing from densely packed buildings after Thursday’s deadly strike, with people seen scouring the rubble.

Residents, some weeping, checked their homes and asked for news of neighbours, with one saying his wife was in intensive care.

“There are a lot of families living here,” many displaced from south Lebanon and who have relatives in the neighbourhood,” said Bilal Othman . “Do they (Israel) want to tell us there is no safe place left in this country?”

Updated at 11.03am BST

10.50am BST

At a media conference in Tokyo , the co-head of 2024 Nobel Peace prize winner Nihon Hidankyo , a Japanese organisation, compared the situation for children in Gaza to that of the situation in Japan at the end of the second world war.

“In Gaza, children in blood are being held. It’s like in Japan 80 years ago,” Toshiyuki Mimaki told the news conference, AFP reports.

Updated at 10.55am BST

10.31am BST

Deadly Israeli strike on Beirut likely targeted Hezbollah security chief

Israel appeared to target Hezbollah ’s security chief in airstrikes on Beirut that killed 22 people, in the deadliest raid on the centre of Lebanon’ s capital since the Israel-Hezbollah war began, reports Agence France-Presse (AFP).

The raid came as Israel prepared to observe Yom Kippur, the holiest day on the Jewish calendar which begins on Friday, while fighting wars against Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza .

“The head of Hezbollah’s security apparatus, Wafiq Safa, was targeted,” a source close to the Iran-backed group told AFP, requesting anonymity to discuss the matter.

Safa was close to Hezbollah’s late leader Hassan Nasrallah , who was killed in an Israeli strike on south Beirut last month.

In 2019, the US Treasury blacklisted Safa, saying he maintained Hezbollah’s ties to financiers and allegedly helped arrange weapons and drugs smuggling.

AFP reports that there has been no official confirmation from either Hezbollah or Israel that Safa was targeted in the attack that Lebanon’s health ministry said killed 22 people.

Updated at 10.32am BST

10.12am BST

Iran reiterates warning to Israel over possible retaliation

Tehran will not hesitate to take “stronger defensive actions” if Israel retaliates for last week’s missile attack by Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has said.

Iran is “fully prepared to take stronger defensive actions, if necessary, in response to any further aggression, and will not hesitate to do so,” Araqchi said in a letter to other foreign ministers, according to a ministry post on X.

Israel has repeatedly said it will respond to Iran’s missile attack at the beginning of this month, launched in retaliation for Israeli strikes in Lebanon and Gaza and the killing of a Hamas leader in Iran.

Araqchi said in his letter that Iran’s missile attack on Israel had been in accordance with its right to self defence under international law and followed much restraint as it sought a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant has said Israel will hit Iran in a way that will be “lethal, precise and surprising”.

9.54am BST

China has expressed “grave concern and strong condemnation” of Israeli attacks on UN peace operations, after peacekeepers said Israeli forces fired on their headquarters in south Lebanon.

“China expresses grave concern and strong condemnation over the Israeli Defense Forces’ attack on UNIFIL positions and observation posts, which resulted in injuries to UNIFIL personnel,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said, referring to the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon.

UN peacekeepers said Israeli fire on their headquarters in south Lebanon Thursday left two Blue Helmets injured, sparking condemnation from European members of the mission.

Israel acknowledged its forces had opened fire in the area, saying the Hezbollah militants on whom it is waging an escalating war operate near UN posts.

9.32am BST

Human Rights Watch calls for UN inquiry into Israeli attacks on Unifil peacekeeping force in Lebanon

William Christou reports from Beirut for the Guardian

Human Rights Watch (HRW) called for a UN inquiry into Israeli attacks on peacekeepers belonging to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) on Friday, after three separate attacks on Unifil personnel in south Lebanon.

HRW said that Israel’s attacks on UN peacekeepers could be a violation of the laws of war, as peacekeepers, including armed members, are civilians. It further called for the UN to “urgently establish” an international investigation in Lebanon and Israel and that their results are made public.

On Friday morning, a Unifil outpost in south Lebanon came under fire. On Thursday, its headquarters in Naqoura had been repeatedly hit, injuring two peacekeepers after an Israeli tank fired at an observation tower on the base. The Israeli military shot at a Unifil position where peacekeepers were sheltering on Wednesday and an Israeli drone flew up to the entrance of the bunker where they were sheltering, Unifil said.

Unifil said its more than 10,400 peacekeepers would remain in south Lebanon until the situation becomes impossible for them to operate. Peacekeepers are already severely restricted in their movements due to Israeli troop presence in south Lebanon.

The peacekeeping force has been present in south Lebanon since 1978, originally designed to confirm Israel’s withdrawal and ensure that armed groups could not use the area as a launching pad for attacks against Israel. Since 2006, it has been tasked with an observation mission to ensure that armed groups do not operate in the area, in line with UN Resolution 1701 which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Unifil has also had a focus on facilitating humanitarian access and aid to south Lebanon, a mission it continues to this day.

“With over 2,000 people killed and over one million people displaced in Lebanon since mid-September, it is crucial for Unifil to be allowed to fulfil its civilian protection and humanitarian functions”, Lama Fakih, Middle East and north Africa director at Human Rights Watch, said.

9.18am BST

Blinken: civilians in Gaza are 'caught in a terrible crossfire of Hamas’ instigation'

US secretary of state Antony Blinken has stated that the US has had an “intense focus” for a year on preventing the spread of conflict in the Middle East, and said his country had been pressuring Israel over the plight of civilians in Gaza, who he said were “caught in a terrible crossfire of Hamas’ instigation.”

Health authorities in Gaza have claimed that over 40,000 people have been killed in the past year by Israel’s ground offensive and aerial bombardment of the territory.

Speaking in Laos, Blinken said there was deep concern in Asia about the plight of people in Gaza, adding:

The intense focus of the US, which has been the case going back a year, and doing just that, (is) preventing these conflicts from spreading. And we’re working on that every day.

We’re working very hard through deterrence and through diplomacy to prevent that from happening. There’s also obviously deep concern that we share about the plight of children, women, and men in Gaza, who for now a year have been caught in a terrible crossfire of Hamas’ instigation.

Blinken supported what he said was Israel’s right to defend itself from attacks from Hezbollah, and its aim to return civilians who had been forced to flee the fighting to their homes, saying “It’s also vitally important that in doing that, [the Israelis] focus on making sure that civilians are protected and, again, are not being caught in a terrible crossfire.”

9.05am BST

The Israeli military has claimed to have killed what it described as a commander in the Hezbollah Radwan forces’ anti-tank missile unit in southern Lebanon .

More details soon …

8.51am BST

Israel ’s military has said in a statement on its official Telegram channel that this morning in intercepted two UAVs from the direction of Lebanon . It said they did not cross into Israeli airspace.

8.47am BST

Reuters has a quick snap that it has been informed by a UN source that Israel again fired at a UN observation post in southern Lebanon , injuring two people.

More details soon …

8.41am BST

Israel’s Magen David Adom has reported that one person has been killed and another wounded at a kibbutz in northern Israel by anti-tank fire from Lebanon.

Israel’s emergency services said the person killed was a 27-year-old Thai national working at kibbutz Yiron.

More details soon …

8.23am BST

Palestinian news agency Wafa reports two people have been killed in Israeli strikes on Jabalia and on Gaza City in the Gaza Strip. Five people, it reports, were rescued after being trapped in a house that had been targeted.

The claims have not been independently verified.

8.03am BST

Al Jazeera reports a statement from the Iranian Red Crescent which claims Israel has struck its field hospital situated on the Lebanon-Syria border.

Pir Hossein Kolivand, head of the Iranian Red Crescent, is quoted as saying “Supplies, including food, medical items, and equipment, were stationed there, clearly marked with Red Crescent flags. It was evident from the air and the ground that the location was designated for healthcare services, emergency relief, and temporary shelter. Unfortunately, early this morning, the site was targeted by the Zionist regime. Everything was destroyed.”

The claims have not been independently verified.

7.51am BST

CNN in the US is reporting that it has been briefed by an official that Israel’s security cabinet did not reach agreement on Thursday on how to attack Iran in response to the volley of missiles Tehran fired in a direct attack on Israel on 1 October. Those launches were, Iran said, a retaliation for the Israeli assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah by Israel. Iran has vowed to respond to any Israeli attack.

7.37am BST

Israeli media reports that a barrage of about 20 projectiles has been fired into Israel’s north-west from the direction of Lebanon, appearing to target the Acre and Krayot areas north of Haifa on the coast. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

7.26am BST

The National News Agency in Lebanon has carried an update from the country’s civil defense department on the search and rescue operation mounted in Beirut after an Israeli airstrike which, according to reports, killed at least 22 people and left 117 wounded.

The emergency services say that in addition to recovering bodies, they transported the injured to hospital and evacuated nearby buildings. They also worked to extinguish fires, and report that five people are still missing.

6.56am BST

Israel’s army says it has killed Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad’s top commander for the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank, AFP reports:

The military said Mohammad Abdullah was “eliminated” on Thursday after Israeli aircraft struck the camp in Tulkarem.

An additional “terrorist” was killed in the operation, which recovered M-16 rifles and vests, it added.

Abdullah was the successor of Muhammad Jabber, also known as Abu Shujaa, who was killed in an Israeli strike in late August.

Islamic Jihad is an ally of Hamas, with both groups battling Israeli forces in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

6.42am BST

EU chief Charles Michel says 'attack' on UN peacekeepers 'not acceptable'

European Council president Charles Michel said an “attack” on UN peace operations was “not acceptable”, after peacekeepers said Israeli forces fired on their headquarters in south Lebanon, injuring two blue helmets from Indonesia.

“An attack against a UN peace mission is not responsible, is not acceptable and that’s why we call on Israel and we call on all sides to fully respect international humanitarian law,” he told AFP.

Michel joins a growing chorus of international leaders and member states who contribute troops to the UN interim force in Lebanon (Unifil), at a time Israel is already under scrutiny on multiple fronts for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Among the most vociferous was Italy, where defence minister Guido Crosetto said he has asked for a formal explanation from Israeli authorities on the attacks on Unifil bases, which he said “were not an accident nor a mistake”.

“We won’t accept the justification that Israeli military forces had previously alerted Unifil that some of its bases had to be abandoned,” he said.

Indonesia’s UN ambassador Hari Prabowo, meanwhile, said the incident “clearly demonstrates how Israel positioned itself above international law, above impunity and above our shared values of peace”.

6.32am BST

Peacekeepers in Lebanon 'increasingly in jeopardy', says UN

UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix has told the security council that the safety of more than 10,400 UN peacekeepers in Lebanon was “ increasingly in jeopardy ” and operations had virtually halted since late September, coinciding with Israel’s escalation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

“Peacekeepers have been confined to their bases with significant periods of time in shelter,” he said, adding that the mission - known as Unifil - was ready to support all efforts towards a diplomatic solution.

His comments came after the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said Israeli forces had deliberately fired on its positions , injuring two peacekeepers from Indonesia. Unifil called attacks on peacekeepers “a grave violation of international humanitarian law”.

The White House said the US was deeply concerned by those reports and was pressing Israel for details. Israel’s military said its troops operated in the Naqoura area, “next to a Unifil base”. “Accordingly, the IDF instructed the UN forces in the area to remain in protected spaces, following which the forces opened fire in the area,” Israel’s statement said, adding it maintains routine communication with Unifil.

The peacekeepers were determined to remain at their posts despite Israeli attacks and orders by Israel’s military to leave, said the UN force’s spokesperson, Andrea Tenenti. Its 50 contributing countries had agreed on Thursday to keep deploying more than 10,000 peacekeepers between the Litani River in the north and the UN-recognised boundary between Lebanon and Israel known as the Blue Line in the south.

“We are there because the [UN] security council has asked us to be there. So we are staying until the situation becomes impossible for us to operate,” Tenenti said.

In New York, Israel’s UN ambassador, Danny Danon, said Israel recommended Unifil relocate 5km north “to avoid danger as fighting intensifies”.

6.22am BST

Welcome and summary

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s continuing coverage of the crisis in the Middle East.

The safety and security of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon are “increasingly in jeopardy” and operational activities have virtually come to a halt since since 23 September, UN peacekeeping chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix told the security council on Thursday evening.

“Peacekeepers have been confined to their bases with significant periods of time in shelter,” he said, adding that the mission - known as Unifil - was ready to support all efforts towards a diplomatic solution.

It comes after the UN peacekeeping mission in Lebanon said on Thursday that Israeli forces had deliberately fired on its positions, injuring two peacekeepers.

European Council president Charles Michel said the firing was “not responsible” and “not acceptable”.

More on that in a moment.

• At least 22 people were killed and more than 100 others injured after Israeli airstrikes hit residential areas of central Beirut on Thursday evening. The strikes hit the working-class district of Basta and the Nweiri neighbourhood, the deadliest attacks to target central Beirut since Israel intensified its bombardment campaign on the country two weeks ago. Hezbollah’s Al Manar TV reported that the strikes were an attempt to assassinate Wafiq Safa, a top security official with the group, which it said had failed.

• At least 28 people, including women and children, have been killed after an Israeli airstrike hit a school sheltering displaced people in central Gaza on Thursday morning. The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) said it had responded to 27 fatalities and 54 injuries after the strike on the school turned shelter in Deir al-Balah. The Israeli military said it targeted militants who were operating in the compound.

• The Israeli military continued to push on with an offensive that began six days ago, when it sent its troops into Jabaliya, the largest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps and the nearby towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya. Palestinian health officials say at least 130 people have been killed so far in the operation, which Israel says is aimed at preventing Hamas from regrouping. The military has told residents to evacuate an area in which the UN estimates more than 400,000 people are trapped.

• Three hospitals in northern Gaza – Indonesian, Al-Awda and Kamal Adwan hospitals – have been ordered by Israeli forces to evacuate, putting patients’ lives at risk, medics say. The director of Kamal Adwan hospital n northern Gaza said eight patients, mostly children, were at risk inside the intensive care units should the Israeli army force them to evacuate. Israeli bombardment near Kamal Adwan hospital has already caused some damage to the facility, medics said. Officials said they know of many fatalities lying on the roads outside the hospital because of Israeli fire.

• Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, said some Unrwa shelters and services were being forced to shut down for the first time since the war began and that with almost no basic supplies available, hunger was spreading again in northern Gaza, amid witness accounts of bodies lying uncollected in the streets because of the renewed fighting.