Hezbollah explosions live updates: Hand-held radios explode ...

Australia abstains as UN General Assembly votes for end to Israeli occupation

21 minutes agoWed 18 Sep 2024 at 7:48pm

Scenes from the streets of Beirut

26 minutes agoWed 18 Sep 2024 at 7:43pm

The UN's secretary-general Antonio Guterres has released a statement on X saying he is "deeply alarmed" by today's unfolding attacks on Lebanon and Hezbollah members.

Key Event

11m agoWed 18 Sep 2024 at 7:58pm

By Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn

The United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, has been in Egypt trying to progress negotiations on securing a ceasefire deal in the Israel-Gaza war, which is now in its 11th month.

Blinken expressed frustration at the surprise escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, saying it threatened to derail efforts to broker a deal.

Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging cross-border warfare throughout the Israel-Gaza war, and Hezbollah says it won't stop firing on Israel until the war in Gaza ends.

This recent escalation, with many casualties, could provoke Hezbollah into a major retaliatory attack on Israel, sparking another major war.

The US says securing a deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is the best chance at reducing regional tensions.

But negotiations on a ceasefire deal with been stalled for months, with both Israel and Hamas refusing to budge on key issues of contention, including the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, and the numbers of Palestinian detainees to be released in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.

Key Event

21m agoWed 18 Sep 2024 at 7:48pm

By Brad Ryan in Washington DC

As Lebanon was dealing with the aftermath of hundreds of blasts across the country, there was another development in the wider Middle Eastern conflict.

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution demanding an end to Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories within 12 months.

The resolution was put forward by the Palestinian Authority after it recently gained the right to draft them.

The US urged members to vote against it. But it passed with 124 votes in favour, 14 against, and 43 abstentions.

Australia was among the member states that abstained.

"We wanted to vote for a resolution that clearly offered the Palestinian people a path to self-determination and gave the world a path to a two-state solution," Australia's representative James Larsen told the assembly.

He said Australia supported many of the principles of the resolution, had not supplied weapons to Israel in at least five years, and would "continue to call out unilateral actions that undermine the prospect for peace".

Israel's foreign ministry said the decision encouraged terrorism and harmed the chances for peace.

Key Event

26m agoWed 18 Sep 2024 at 7:43pm

Some vision has come in of ambulances and paramedics rushing to help people wounded in the latest round of attacks in Lebanon, with thousands of hand-held radios exploding in a seemingly coordinated attack.

Izzat Al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau, says the group "strongly condemns" the attack on the radios used by Hezbollah.

Hamas and Hezbollah are both designated as terrorist organisations by the Australian government.

Al-Rishq blamed Israel for the explosions. Israel is yet to comment on them.

He said Hamas "stand in solidarity" with people in Lebanon and he reaffirmed "unwavering solidarity" with "our brothers in Hezbollah".

Our Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn filed this report overnight on the unfolding attacks targeting Lebanon and Hezbollah, believed to have been carried out by the Israeli military.

By Middle East correspondent Allyson Horn

WARNING: Graphic content

ABC News spoke with a woman named Rana outside the Rizk Hospital in Beirut, who witnessed the explosions on Tuesday.

"We heard like a little explosion and suddenly, there was chaos, people on the street. A guy would explode, then there, another one; people were hysterical," she said.

"I saw a man totally coloured with blood — this man had two children. The explosion hit the two children and the man who saved them was all covered with blood."

Rana's cousin was also injured in Tuesday's blasts and is in a critical condition in hospital.

"They carried out an urgent eye surgery, sadly, they had to remove it. His other eye might be gone as well," she said.

"He might not see anymore. His nose has disappeared. His head bone, skull, is broken, and it has reached his brain," she said.

"May God help us. I just hope he wakes up, at least."

Key Event

51m agoWed 18 Sep 2024 at 7:18pm

Good morning, and welcome to the ABC's live coverage of the unfolding situation in Lebanon, where more blasts have been reported, again targeting communications devices used by the militant group Hezbollah.

On Tuesday, pagers exploded, killing 12 people and injuring almost 3,000 more.

On Wednesday afternoon, devices described as hand-held radios blew up. State media reports indicate there have again been multiple deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Hezbollah blamed Israel for Tuesday's explosions, although Israel has remained silent.

On social media, smoke could be seen billowing from buildings in Lebanon after the explosions.

We'll bring you more updates as the day unfolds.