Hezbollah fires at military base on Yom Kippur after Biden issues warning to Israel

• Hezbollah said it launched a salvo of missiles at an Israeli military base on Saturday, as Israeli troops battled militants in Lebanon and Gaza on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. READ MORE BELOW

• U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at United Nations peacekeepers. READ MORE BELOW

• The Israeli military on Saturday warned residents of south Lebanon "not to return" to their homes as troops continued fighting Hezbollah militants in the area. READ MORE BELOW

• The Israeli military added it has told residents of 22 villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate north of the Awali river.

• Israel, which celebrates Yom Kippur on Saturday, is facing a barrage of international criticism over its military offensive in Lebanon and its soldiers' firing on peacekeeping forces.

• U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced hope for a diplomatic solution in Lebanon and preventing a broader conflict, as he backed efforts by the fragile state to assert itself against Hezbollah.

• Nicaragua will break off diplomatic relations with Israel, which has been openly criticized by the government of Daniel Ortega for its war against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in Gaza.

• At least 42,175 Palestinians have been killed and 98,336 others injured in Israel's military offensive on Gaza since October 7, 2023, Gaza's health ministry said on Saturday.

Troops remain engaged on Yom Kippur

Cities around Israel were quiet with markets closed, flights stopped and public transport halted as observant Jews fasted and prayed on the Day of Atonement.

But with the country at war against Hezbollah and Hamas, troops remained engaged in combat on the northern and southern frontiers amid a firestorm of criticism over the wounding of four UN peacekeepers in Lebanon.

Hezbollah, which has lost its leader and a long list of key commanders to Israeli strikes since the start of the war in Lebanon, on Saturday said it struck an army base with missiles to the south of the city of Haifa. 

Hezbollah fighters were "targeting the explosives factory there with a salvo of... missiles", the group said in a statement.

Air raid sirens sounded on Saturday in northern Israel, with the Israeli military saying it had intercepted a projectile launched from Lebanon. 

In the hours ahead of Yom Kippur, Israel faced severe diplomatic backlash over what it said was a "hit" on a UN peacekeeping position in Lebanon.

Two Sri Lankan peacekeepers were hurt in the second such incident in two days, the UNIFIL mission said on Friday.

The military said Israeli soldiers had responded with fire to "an immediate threat" around 50 meters from the UNIFIL post.

As Israel faced a chorus of condemnation by UN chief Antonio Guterres, Western allies and others, the military pledged to carry out a "thorough review".

'Deliberately targeted'

UNIFIL peacekeepers in Lebanon have found themselves on the frontline of the Israel-Hezbollah war, which has killed more than 1,200 people in Lebanon since September 23, according to an AFP tally of Lebanese health ministry figures.

Four peacekeepers have been injured including two Indonesians who were hurt on Thursday when an Israeli tank shot at their watchtower, according to UNIFIL.

Sean Clancy, the Irish military's chief of staff, said he did not believe Israel's explanation of Friday's incident.

"From a military perspective, this is not an accidental act," said Clancy, whose country has troops in UNIFIL.

French President Emmanuel Macron said he believed the UN peacekeepers had been "deliberately targeted".

Guterres condemned the firing as "intolerable" and "a violation of international humanitarian law," while the British government said it was "appalled".

U.S. President Joe Biden said Friday he was "absolutely" asking Israel to stop firing at UN peacekeepers.

China's Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday that the country is "gravely concerned over and strongly condemns" the attack. "Any deliberate attack on UN peacekeepers is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and UNSC Resolution 1701," according to the spokesperson, "It is absolutely unacceptable and shall be put to an immediate stop."

The incidents came more than two weeks into Israel's war with Hezbollah in Lebanon, which has seen Israeli warplanes conduct extensive strikes and send ground troops across the border. 

Diplomatic efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting have so far failed but Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his government would ask the UN Security Council to issue a new resolution calling for a "full and immediate ceasefire".

Lebanon's military said on Friday that an Israeli strike on one of its positions in south Lebanon killed two soldiers.

Iran retaliation

After the Yom Kippur holiday, attention is likely to turn again to the expected retaliation against Iran, which launched around 200 missiles at Israel on October 1.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant vowed this week that his country's response would be "deadly, precise and surprising" with Biden's administration pushing for a "proportionate" response that would not tip the region into a wider war. 

Biden has urged Israel to avoid striking Iranian nuclear facilities or energy infrastructure.

Hezbollah began firing on Israel in support of its Palestinian ally Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages killed in captivity. 

'For your own protection, do not return'

Israeli forces continue to "target Hezbollah posts in or near your villages", military spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X. "For your own protection, do not return to your homes until further notice. Do not go south; anyone who goes south may put his life at risk."

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