Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Nasrallah killed for tying Hezbollah cause to Gaza war

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Friday.

ByJulia Reinstein, David Brennan, and Nadine El-Bawab
Last Updated: September 29, 2024, 2:21 PM EDT

Israel is firing strikes into Lebanon as the conflict in the Middle East intensifies.

Israel believes it has eliminated around 30 top Hezbollah leaders over the last several weeks, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut on Friday, U.S. and Israeli officials said.

Latest headlines:

Here's how the news is developing.
Sep 27, 2024, 5:45 PM EDT

Israeli Air Force patrolling Beirut airport

Israel Defense Force announced that its air force is now patrolling the Beirut airport area.

The IDF alleges that Lebanon "has not allowed the transfer of weapons through the civilian airport."

"We announce in advance: we will not allow hostile flights with weapons to land at the civil airport in Beirut. This is a civilian airport for civilian use, and it must be kept that way," the IDF said in a statement.

-ABC News' Will Gretsky

Sep 27, 2024, 11:18 AM EDT

US Navy shoots down Houthi drones, missiles targeting ships

U.S. Navy warships intercepted Houthi drones and missiles fired at its ships in the Red Sea, a U.S. official confirmed. The official said there was no damage to any U.S. ships.

There are currently five U.S. Navy ships in the Red Sea: four destroyers -- USS Spruance, USS Michael Murphy, USS Stockdale and USS Frank E. Peterson -- and one littoral combat ship -- USS Indianapolis.

-ABC News' Luis Martinez

Sep 27, 2024, 10:35 AM EDT

Netanyahu pushes for international support of Israel amid widening conflict

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sought to rally international support for Israel at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, saying Israel will continue its wars until Hamas and Hezbollah are destroyed.

Netanyahu said the war in Gaza has to continue for now, while saying that he remains committed to returning the remaining hostages being held by Hamas.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 27, 2024.
Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images

In his speech, Netanyahu told world leaders that Iran is a common enemy that must be stopped, saying it wants to move back to a "dark age of war."

Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu enters the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 27, 2024.
Pamela Smith/AP

"Iran's aggression, if it's not checked, will endanger every single country in the Middle East and many, many countries in the rest of the world, because Iran seeks to impose its radicalism well beyond the Middle East," Netanyahu said.

Sep 27, 2024, 10:28 AM EDT

Israel is 'falsely accused of genocide,' Netanyahu tells UN

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed back against international criticism of Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza, saying Israel is "falsely accused of genocide," as he spoke at the United Nations General Assembly.

Netanyahu also called the accusation of Israel starving Palestinians in Gaza "an absurdity."

Over 40,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Oct. 7.

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses the 79th United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, Sept. 27, 2024.
Sarah Yenesel/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

As Israeli officials say they are preparing for a ground invasion into Lebanon and hours after Netanyahu said Israel will "continue the fighting with full force," Netanyahu told the United Nations that "Israel seeks peace."

Netanyahu has also publicly denied the possibility of a cease-fire with Hezbollah, publicly rejecting an international proposal for a 21-day cease-fire suggested by President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron.