Middle East war live: Iran fires barrage of missiles at Israel with ...

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs

10 minutes agoWed 2 Oct 2024 at 1:00am

Peter Dutton says he 'condemns the actions of Iran'

1 hours agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 11:59pm

Security expert Jennifer Parker says that Iran's recent attack was "attempting to inflict damage", speaking to ABC this morning.

She said the lack of warning from Iran shows a "clear escalation".

Watch the full interview here:

Key Event

10m agoWed 2 Oct 2024 at 1:00am

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut's southern suburbs early Wednesday, a Lebanese security source told AFP.

The Israeli military said it was targeting Hezbollah sites and issued several evacuation orders.

AFP correspondents heard multiple explosions and saw smoke rising in one area while a fire appeared to burn.

Reporting with AFP

The PM is asked if Australia supports Israel's effort to "take out" militant group Hezbollah.

He says the government regards Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation, as it regards Hamas.

"We have been working with like-minded countries and issuing appropriate statements such as the one [released alongside UK, US and others last week]," Albanese says.

Asked about concerns Hezbollah flags could be displayed by protesters at planned rallies this weekend, the PM says police should enforce the law.

"The laws are there about hate symbols. The Hezbollah flag is quite clearly a hate symbol and should not be displayed here in Australia."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned of Iran's overnight missile attack on Israel, as he reiterated his call for a de-escalation of tensions in the region.

Speaking to reporters in Melbourne, the PM said the government was "very concerned" but it was a "good thing" the defence of Israel, supported by the US, ensured there was no loss of civilian life.

"There's been too much loss of life in that region," he says.

"Israel, of course, has a right to defend itself. What we have called for consistently is for a de-escalation in the region. Along with our friends in the United States and others.

"We issued a joint statement with 13 nations just a week ago, and we did that in the context of making sure that the Israelis can return to Northern Israel and that the Lebanese can return to southern Lebanon.

"One of the things that that statement said was diplomacy, however, cannot succeed amid an escalation of this conflict."

Jordan's Ministry of Interior says it is following up on the fall of fragments from the missiles in several areas including the capital Amman.

The country's public broadcaster Al-Mamlaka said three minor injuries were recorded, according to a government spokesperson.

It added that "material damages" have occurred due to the incidents.

Key Event

1h agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 11:59pm

 Opposition Leader Peter Dutton says the situation in the Middle East continues to be a concern to everybody at the moment.

"I condemn absolutely the actions of Iran overnight in their attacks on Israel.

"Israel is the only democracy in that part of the world. I think the way in which the prime minister has responded, or [rather] has not responded here, has made it more precarious for us here in Australia as well," Dutton says.

"On October 9, [2023] there were demonstrations on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, the anti-Semitism that was on display there that night has only compounded every day since then."

He said the protests on university campuses, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne have "given rise to a level of comfort for these supporters of Hamas and Hezbollah."

"It's unacceptable and it increases the level of danger in our own community, as we know the prime minister should be standing up as the United States has stood up overnight, as the United Kingdom has, as Canada has, to condemn the actions and to make sure that decisions are made to keep us safe here in Australia as well," Dutton says.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he's "incredibly worried" about social cohesion, after a small number of Hezbollah flags appeared at pro-Palestinian rallies on the weekend.

The AFP is investigating whether some of the flags, symbols or chants at the rallies breached commonwealth laws.

"Demonstrations are something that occur in a democracy, as it should. People have a right to express their views," Mr Albanese told ABC Radio Melbourne.

But he said there was "no place" for the waving of terror symbols and "we shouldn't bring conflict here".

He said his concerns had spurred him to appoint Victorian MP Peter Khalil as a special envoy for social cohesion.

Mr Albanese said he would be attending a Sydney vigil with the Jewish community on October 7.

He said he would be joined by Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus, who was planning to travel to Israel but has abandoned those plans in light of the overnight escalation in conflict.

By Riley Stuart in Jerusalem

Israel's Defence Minister, Yoav Gallant, released a statement a short time ago.

He said he watched Tuesday night's rocket and missile barrage from Iran in an IDF control centre.

"Iran has not learned a simple lesson. Those who attack the State of Israel, shall pay a heavy price," he said.

Key Event

1h agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 11:20pm

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he does not believe there should be any protests held on October 7, the anniversary of Hamas's terror attack on Israel.

In Sydney, police have asked the Supreme Court to prevent a pro-Palestinian rally on Sunday, October 6, and a related candle-lit vigil on October 7 from going ahead.

"October 7 will be one year since the largest number of deaths — murders, call it for what it is — of Jewish people since the Holocaust," Mr Albanese told ABC Radio Melbourne.

"There certainly shouldn't be any protests on October 7 because it would be seen, I think, as incredibly provocative.

"It would not advance any cause. it would cause a great deal of distress."

Mr Albanese said while in a democracy it was important that people were given a voice, "anything" that looked like it could be celebrating the day Israeli authorities say 1,200 people were killed "would cause disharmony".

He said he respected the independence of NSW Police, but noted it was "absolutely reasonable" for them to take the steps they had taken.

Key Event

2h agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 11:06pm

Many of you are asking about Israel's Iron Dome air defence system.

Here's a little rundown:

The Iron Dome intercepts rockets and missiles with its own rocket interceptors, and uses radar to detect and track them.

Israel's Iron Dome has been described as one of the most effective air defence systems on the planet.

It was designed to to counter threats like rockets, mortars and drones.

The system consists of three main elements: the launcher and its interceptors, a ground-based multi-mission radar, and a control system.

Israel's Ministry of Defence says it is capable of handling multiple threats simultaneously, with a success rate of up to 90 per cent.

Basically, the Iron Dome intercepts the rockets and missiles with its own rocket interceptors, and uses radar to detect and track them.

The ABC's Annika Burgess explains further here:

Key Event

2h agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 10:58pm

The Israeli military said early on Wednesday that it was carrying out air strikes in Lebanon's capital of Beirut against targets of the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

"The IDF [Israel Defense Forces] is currently striking Hezbollah terror targets in Beirut," the military said, as a Lebanese security source said Israel had struck the capital's southern suburbs.

Reporting by AFP

According to the US Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Iran is armed with the largest number of ballistic missiles in the region.

Here are some details:

The semi-official Iranian news outlet ISNA published a graphic in April showing nine Iranian missiles it said could reach Israel.

Based on the locations of videos of launches posted on social media and the ranges to Israel overnight, Iran fired a combination of solid- and liquid-fuelled missiles, a Berlin-based expert on Iran's missile arsenal with the International Institute for Strategic Studies said.

According to a 2023 report by Behnam Ben Taleblu, a Senior Fellow at the US-based Foundation for Defense of Democracies, Iran continues to develop underground missile depots complete with transport and firing systems, and subterranean missile production and storage centres.

In June 2023, Iran presented what officials described as its first domestically-made hypersonic ballistic missile, the official IRNA news agency reported.

The Arms Control Association says Iran's missile program is largely based on North Korean and Russian designs and has benefited from Chinese assistance.

Reporting by Reuters

Key Event

2h agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 10:46pm

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has condemned Iran's actions in "lobbing missiles into Israel".

He said it was "fortunate" that it appeared the Iron Dome had helped protect against loss of civilian life.

Speaking to ABC Radio Melbourne, he highlighted that roughly a week ago Australia joined other nations in calling for an immediate ceasefire so that Israelis could return to homes in northern Israel and Lebanese return to homes in southern Lebanon.

When asked whether the current situation constituted a "war" in the region, the PM said he didn't want to get into an argument over definitions.

"What you have is a tragedy," he said.

"There was the terrorist actions of course almost a year ago now of Hamas, on October 7, that were quite rightly condemned throughout the world.

"Then we've seen too many innocent civilians lose their life — whether they be Israelis, Palestinians or Lebanese — there does at some point need to be a diplomatic solution here."

Key Event

2h agoTue 1 Oct 2024 at 10:31pm

Foreign Minister Penny Wong says a number of Australians have been assisted onto flights from Lebanon this week, and more flights will become accessible in the coming days.

In a post on social media platform X, Senator Wong stressed that Australians in Lebanon who wished to leave should ensure they were registered via DFAT's crisis portal.

By Middle East correspondent Eric Tlozek

Iran's sudden missile attack on Israel came after a succession of humiliating blows from Israel.

The Islamic Republic's lack of response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh led many around the region to speculate that it was too afraid of Israeli retaliation to do anything. Iran supports a network of armed groups around the Middle East as part of a strategy it calls "offensive defence".

The primary purpose of these groups for Iran is provide deterrence, distraction with their attacks and an easier target for Israel and the United States than attacking Iran itself.

That means it doesn't want to see those groups weakened, but it doesn't view attacks on them in the same way it would view a direct strike on Iranian soil.

But Hezbollah was Iran's biggest and most successful "offensive defence" project and its leader Hassan Nasrallah a close friend of the Supreme Leader.

The lack of retaliation from Iran was already fuelling anger around the region amongst its allies and eroding any remaining belief that Iran could, or would, protect them.

Iran also feared it was losing whatever deterrence remained against a direct Israeli attack, so Iran's leaders clearly felt they had no option but to respond to Nasrallah's death.

This strike, however, still appears to demonstrative. Iran wanted to show Israel and the region that it would attack directly, if the provocation was serious enough, but it doesn't want to invite a massive retaliation or all-out war with Israel and the United States.

Israel — better-armed and technologically superior — will retaliate, and it will hurt Iran, with these events leaving the region caught even deeper in an escalatory spiral.   

Israel's Home Front Command says it has eased restrictions on large gatherings in much of Israel, including the Tel Aviv and Jerusalem areas.

Reporting by Reuters

By Europe Correspondent Kathryn Diss in Jerusalem

Not quite, but tensions are certainly escalating and it will now come down to how Israel responds to Iran.

Israel has had the upper hand in this conflict over the past few weeks, even months.

Its defence force has successfully taken out high-value targets and essentially wiped out an entire generation of Hezbollah leaders.

There's no doubt it's led to a response from Iran, the biggest backer of the militant group, which Australia has designated as a terrorist organisation.

For days, the media and experts have been speculating about how Iran might respond.

Now, we've got our answer. 

Whether or not this expands into a broader regional war will depend on how Israel responds and it's already warned that consequences will follow.

It's safe to assume diplomats are already working hard behind the scenes to achieve a political outcome.

The Israeli military issued new orders for the evacuation of the southern suburbs of Beirut early on Wednesday, warning in a statement that it would hit Hezbollah targets in buildings there.

Reporting with Reuters 

Over the past 24 hours, Israeli air strikes have resulted in the deaths of 55 and 156 injuries, the Lebanese Health Ministry said in a statement according to state media.

According to the ministry, the fatalities were reported in the Baalbek-Hermel district,  the Nabatieh Governorate, Beirut, Mount Lebanon in the South Governorate.