Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: IDF orders evacuations in Beirut as huge blast hits city

Over 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the last two weeks.

ByNadine El-Bawab, Emily Shapiro, David Brennan, Julia Reinstein, and Meredith Deliso
Last Updated: October 6, 2024, 7:29 PM EDT

Israel's Lebanon operation continues as leaders consider their response to Iran's long-range attack on Tuesday, in which hundreds of missiles were fired into the country, according to Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations.

Iran said the unprecedented attack was retaliation for a wave of assassinations carried out by Israel over the last several weeks targeting Hezbollah, including leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Most of the missiles were intercepted, but "several hits were identified, and the damage is being assessed," an Israeli security official said.

Tune in to ABC News Live at 4 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 7, for "Oct 7th: Race to Survive" -- special coverage of the anniversary of the conflict. Veteran correspondent Matt Gutman highlights voices of Israelis and Palestinians impacted by the war and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Oct 02, 2024, 10:52 AM EDT

Israel response to Iran missile attack will 'come fast,' official says

An Israeli official told ABC News on Wednesday that "Israel's response to Iran's attack will be significant and come fast."

People stand on top of the remains of an Iranian missile in the Negev desert near Arad, Oct. 2, 2024, in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack on Israel.
Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images

Iran launched a large barrage of cruise missiles -- either 220, according to a U.S. official, or 180, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu -- on Tuesday evening.

"This evening, Iran made a big mistake -- and it will pay for it," Netanyahu said shortly after the attack.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller

Oct 02, 2024, 6:23 AM EDT

Iranian leader blames US, Europe for Middle East turmoil

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said on Wednesday morning that "the basis of the region's problems is the presence of the United States and some European countries who falsely claim peace and tranquility."

Iran launched 220 ballistic missiles at Israel on Tuesday night, according to a U.S. official. The attack was in protest of Israel's recent operations against the Tehran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon, including the assassination of its leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 27.

This handout picture provided by the office of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei shows him during a gathering in Tehran on Oct. 2, 2024.
-/KHAMENEI.IR/AFP via Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Iran fired 180 missiles in its second direct attack on Israel since Oct. 7. "This evening, Iran made a big mistake -- and it will pay for it," Netanyahu said Tuesday.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps claimed that 90% of the missiles launched hit their targets.

-ABC News' Somayeh Malekian and Hami Hamedi

Oct 02, 2024, 5:34 AM EDT

Israel deploys more troops into Lebanon with air, artillery support

The Israel Defense Forces announced Wednesday that more troops "are joining the limited, localized, targeted raids on Hezbollah terror targets and terrorist infrastructure in southern Lebanon that began on Monday."

An Israeli Apache helicopter releases flares near the Israeli-Lebanon border, as seen from northern Israel, on Oct. 2, 2024.
Baz Ratner/AP

The IDF said its 36th Division -- including soldiers of the Golani Brigade, 188th Armored Brigade, 6th Infantry Brigade and additional forces -- would join the ground incursion.

The units will be accompanied by air and artillery units, the IDF added.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Jordana Miller

Oct 02, 2024, 4:57 AM EDT

IDF says it hit 'munitions production sites' in Beirut

Recent airstrikes in southern Beirut targeted "munitions production sites and other terrorist infrastructures," according to an Israel Defense Forces statement published on Wednesday morning.

People check the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Shayyah, Lebanon on Oct. 2, 2024.
-/AFP via Getty Images

"Fighter jets of the air force, under the precise intelligence guidance of the intelligence division, carried out a series of targeted attacks in recent days throughout Beirut," the IDF wrote.

Beirut -- and particularly its southern suburb of Dahiya -- has faced intense airstrikes in recent days as Israeli warplanes target what the IDF says are a variety of Hezbollah-associated targets.

The southern suburbs were also the site of the airstrike that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Sept. 27.

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