Inching closer to a wider conflict in the Middle East, Hezbollah on Tuesday vowed to increase its strikes on Israel. This came after a deadly strike in northern Lebanon claimed the lives of at least 22 people.
The US has warned Israel to increase the inflow of humanitarian into Gaza within the next 30 days, saying that otherwise, it is at risk of losing access to US arms funding.
Inching closer to a wider conflict in the Middle East, Hezbollah on Tuesday vowed to increase its strikes on Israel. This came after a deadly strike in northern Lebanon claimed the lives of at least 22 people.
The Iran-backed militant group's acting leader Naim Kassem said that Hezbollah is focused on "hurting the enemy". The remarks came on the same day as the US sent a small troop to Israel to help operate an American-made missile defence system.
Notably, Hezbollah has been firing into Israel since October 7, 2023, when its ally Hamas launched an unprecedented attack on Israel, prompting a response from the Benjamin Netanyahu-led state.
Iran's foreign minister Abbas Araghchi warned the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran is ready to give a stern and 'regretful' response if Israel attacks Iran in retaliation for the missile barrage.
According to a statement by Araghchi's office, he spoke to the UN chief over a phone all and told him that "Iran, while making all-out efforts to protect the peace and security of the region, is fully prepared for a decisive and regretful response to any adventures" by Israel.
Israeli jets struck the southern suburbs of Beirut early Wednesday for the first time in six days, Lebanese media reported.
Israel has said that it is targeting Hezbollah assets in the suburbs, where the Iran-backed militant group has a strong presence, but is also a busy residential and commerical area.
The attack comes just a day after caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said the US goverment gave him some assurances of Israel easing its strikes in the Lebanese capital.
At least 15 persons were killed after an Israeli strike hit the southern town of Qana, said Lebanon's Civil Defense officials.
Qana was the site of an Israeli artillery strike on a United Nations compound in 1996 that killed dozens of civilians.
Meanwhile, a Lebanese official said that the mayor of Nabatiyeh was among those killed in the strikes on the southern Lebanese city.
US' Biden administration has warned Israel that it must increase the inflow of humanitarian aid into Gaza within the next 30 days or it could risk losing access to US arms funding.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin warned their Israeli counterparts in a letter dated October 13 that the changes must occur. The letter, which restates US policy toward humanitarian aid and arms transfers, was sent amid deteriorating conditions in northern Gaza.
Blinken had sent a similar letter to Israel in April, which led to increased humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said.
Austin said that to continue qualifying for foreign military funding, Israel has to increase the level of aid being allowed into Gaza to at least 350 trucks a day. Israel must also institute additional humanitarian pauses and enhance security for humanitarian sites.
"The letter was not meant as a threat," White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters. "The letter was simply meant to reiterate the sense of urgency we feel and the seriousness with which we feel it, about the need for an increase, a dramatic increase in humanitarian assistance."
Last week, UN humanitarian officials said that aid entering Gaza has been at its lowest level in months. About 80 trucks carrying aid have entered through crossings in Gaza's north since October 1, down from roughly 60 trucks a day previously.
Israel has assured the United States that it will not strike Iranian nuclear or oil sites as it looks at ways to retaliate to Iran's missile barrage earlier this month.
The US officials, however, said that Israel's assurances are not ironclad and that circumstances could change.
The Biden administration believes that sending a US Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD) battery to Israel and roughly 100 soldiers to operate it has eased some of Tel Aviv's concerns about possible Iranian retaliation and general security issues.
Pentagon had on Sunday announced that THAAD deployment to help bolster Israel's air defences after Iran's attack was done at the authorisation of President Joe Biden.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office had earlier said in a statement, "We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interests."
Day after a deadly strike claimed the lives of at least 22 people in northern Lebanon, Hezbollah vowed to expand its attacks on Israel. The militant group's acting leader Naim Kassem said that Hezbollah is focused on "hurting the enemy" and he signalled it would ramp up attacks further south in Israel, mentioning the cities of Tel Aviv and Haifa, which have already been targets of attacks.
Notably, since the start of the October 7 war, Hezbollah has fired around 13,000 rockets into Israel in support of its ally Hamas. The war has led to tens of thousands of northern Israelis being displaced from their homes.
Meanwhile, the United Nations called for an independent probe into the Israeli strikes that struck northern Lebanon on Monday.
"We have real concerns with respect to...the laws of war," a UN human rights office spokesperson -- Jeremy Lawrence -- said, adding that the global body has received credible reports that a dozen women and children were among the dead.
Hezbollah has also said that it will continue striking Israel until a ceasefire is reached in Gaza. "We cannot separate Lebanon from Palestine, or Palestine from the world," said Kassem, who has been heading the militant group since September 27, when its leader Hassan Nasrallah was assassinated in an Israeli airstrike.