Israel Atrocities
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French top diplomat urges Israel against Lebanon ground offensive
BEIRUT (Lebanon) (AFP) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot on Monday urged Israel not to send ground troops into Lebanon, calling on Israel and armed group Hezbollah to immediately agree to a ceasefire.
"I urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same and refrain from any action that could destabilise the region," Barrot told reporters in Beirut.
Gaza children 'extremely impacted' by war: UNICEF
JERUSALEM (AFP) – Nearly a year of devastating war has left Gaza's 2.4 million people enduring a humanitarian tragedy, with children in the besieged territory the most vulnerable, a UNICEF official told AFP in an interview.
Jonathan Crickx, the UN agency's spokesman for the Palestinian territories, has returned this month from a week-long mission to Gaza, still heavily impacted even as Israel shifts its military focus to Lebanon.
World 'safer' without Hezbollah chief Nasrallah, says Blinken
WASHINGTON (AFP) - United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Monday (Sep 30) that the world is safer after Israel killed Hassan Nasrallah, describing the Hezbollah chief as a "brutal terrorist" while insisting diplomacy was the Middle East's best chance at stability.
"The region, the world are safer without him," Blinken, speaking in Washington, said of the deceased leader of the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group.
Biden urged Lebanon truce, US official says Israeli incursion could be imminent
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - US President Joe Biden called for a ceasefire in Lebanon on Monday (Sep 30) but a US official said Israeli troop deployments suggested a ground incursion against Hezbollah militants could be imminent.
Asked about reports that Israeli ground troops were preparing to move into southern Lebanon, Biden told reporters that he was "comfortable with them (Israel) stopping".
Israel begins ground raids against Hezbollah targets in border area of southern Lebanon
TEL AVIV (Agencies) - Israel's military said on Tuesday (Oct 1) that it had started "limited, localised and targeted raids" against Hezbollah targets in the border area of Southern Lebanon.
The targets are located in villages close to the border and "pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel", said the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) in a statement.
