Biden Says He Opposes Israeli Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites
Israel confirmed 8 combat deaths amid fighting with Hezbollah in Lebanon. Israel has vowed to retaliate after Iran launched missiles at Israel yesterday.
US President Joe Biden speaks after receiving a briefing on Hurricane Helene in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, on Sept. 30, 2024. MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 10, 2024. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
Israel has declared U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata, effectively banning him from entering the country.
Announcing the decision on Oct. 2, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Guterres failed to “unequivocally” condemn Iran for its unprecedented missile attack on Oct. 1, which targeted military and civilian sites across Israel and forced 10 million people into bomb shelters.
Guterres condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation” without specifically mentioning Tehran, a stance that drew sharp criticism from Israel’s top diplomat.
US Evacuates Around 100 Citizens, Family Members From Lebanon
Around 100 U.S. citizens and noncitizen family members left Beirut, Lebanon, on a flight organized by the U.S. government on Oct. 2, according to U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller.
The United States has been helping to organize evacuations out of Lebanon as Israeli forces have intensified operations targeting Hezbollah.
Miller said the aircraft chartered for the Wednesday flight had seats for around 300 people.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres speaks during the 79th session of the U.N. General Assembly in New York City on Sept. 10, 2024. AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura
Israel has declared U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres persona non grata, effectively banning him from entering the country.
Announcing the decision on Oct. 2, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said Guterres failed to “unequivocally” condemn Iran for its unprecedented missile attack on Oct. 1, which targeted military and civilian sites across Israel and forced 10 million people into bomb shelters.
Guterres condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation” without specifically mentioning Tehran, a stance that drew sharp criticism from Israel’s top diplomat.
Hamas Claims Responsibility for Tel Aviv Mass Shooting
Hamas has claimed responsibility for a mass shooting in Tel Aviv-Jaffa that left seven dead and several others injured on Oct. 1.
The Qassam Brigades—the armed wing of Hamas—said two of its operatives were responsible for carrying out the shooting attack near a light rail station.
Israeli police said the gunmen boarded the light rail and opened fire on passengers, then continued on foot to attack pedestrians before being stopped by a security patrol and an armed civilian who killed one attacker and critically wounded the other.
Biden Opposes Israeli Strikes on Iran Nuclear Sites: 'The Answer Is No'
President Joe Biden opposes the idea of Israel striking Iranian nuclear facilities.
"The answer is no,” Biden said, while speaking with members of the press at Joint Base Andrews on Oct. 2, the day after Iran launched around 180 ballistic missiles toward Israel.
The Israeli military has vowed to respond to the Oct. 1 Iranian ballistic missile barrage.
IDF Confirms 7 More Troops Killed in Lebanon Ground Operation
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Oct.2 called on the U.N. Security Council to condemn the Iranian missile barrage against Israel that took place the day before.
Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it launched the missile barrage against Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, and the Israeli air strike that killed Hezbollah political leader Hassan Nasrallah last week.
"This is a moment for this Council to speak out—with one voice—and condemn Iran for its unprovoked attack against another Member State," Thomas-Greenfield said, referring to the Iranian barrage. "And equally important, to impose serious consequences on the IRGC for its actions."
UK Defence Secretary John Healey stated on Wednesday that British forces had supported Israel in response to Iran’s missile attack, without revealing specific military actions.
Britain's Ministry of Defence later clarified that the UK's involvement was limited to refueling operations.
"Last night (1 October), two Royal Air Force Typhoon fighter jets and a Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East, demonstrating the UK's unwavering commitment to Israel's security,” the defense ministry said on the social media platform X. "Due to the nature of this attack, they did not engage any targets, but they played an important part in wider deterrence and efforts to prevent further escalation."
IDF Confirms 1st Soldier Killed in Lebanon Ground Operation
Terrorist group Hezbollah fired 40 rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).
The IDF said that numerous suspicious aerial targets were intercepted and several fell in the area in and around the western Galilee area at the Israeli border near Lebanon.
Israeli forces said that, over the past few hours, the air force has continued to strike Hezbollah terror targets in Lebanon, including weapons storage facilities, terrorists, observation posts, and terror infrastructure sites in several locations along southern Lebanon.
What We Know About Iran’s Missile Attack on Israel
A man and a dog check the rubble of a destroyed building in the aftermath of an Iranian missile attack, in Hod HaSharon, Israel on Oct. 2, 2024. Jack Guez/AFP via Getty Images
On Tuesday night, Iran launched hundreds of missiles towards Israel, with at least some hitting the Jewish state’s territory, in the second such attack by the Islamic Republic this year.
Israel’s military has said that the attacks now appeared to have abated and there was no further threat from Iran for now. The full extent of the damage caused by the overnight barrage is still not known. The Israeli military has said it is not aware of any deaths due to the attacks.
Here is what is known so far.
Why Was The Attack Launched?
Recent days have seen Israel launch a wave of airstrikes against the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon and what it described as limited ground incursion in southern Lebanon.
How Israel Defended Itself Against Iran’s Missile Attacks
Israeli military forces fire rockets from the Iron Dome defense system to intercept rockets launched from the Gaza Strip, near Sderot, on May 13, 2023. Menahem Kahana/AFP via Getty Images
Iran fired 181 long-range ballistic missiles at Israel on Oct. 1, with each missile capable of killing dozens in a single strike. But, according to Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces, after the millions of Israelis emerged from the air raid shelters where they had hunkered down, he was not aware of a single reported casualty.
How? The answer lies in Israel’s multi-layered missile defense system, built with the assistance of the United States.
Tim Ripley, a military analyst and editor of the Defence Eye website, said Israel’s different missile defense systems come under the umbrella of a single structure.
Israel Bars UN Secretary-General From Entering Country
Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Israel Katz has barred UN Secretary-General António Guterres from entering the country.
In an Oct. 2 statement on social media platform X, Katz declared UN Secretary-General António Guterres “persona non grata” in Israel, accusing him of being biased against the country.
“Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel, as almost every country in the world has done, does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil,” Katz said.
Iran's Supreme Leader Gives First Remarks Since Missile Attack on Israel
In his first remarks since Iran's missile attack on Israel, Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, posting on X on Wednesday morning, blamed the West for the military conflict while stating that he had “met with a number of the academic elite and people with outstanding scientific talent.”
In a subsequent post, Khamenei blamed the "United States and some European countries" for the ongoing conflict in the region.
IDF Issues Evacuation Warning to Lebanese Civilians in Southern Villages
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have issued an evacuation order for civilians in Southern Lebanon, ordering residents from 24 villages to leave their homes immediately.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday that it has stepped up ground operations in Southern Lebanon against Hezbollah.
“Hezbollah's activities force the IDF to act against it forcefully,” an IDF spokesman posted on social media platform X on Wednesday. "The IDF does not intend to harm you, so for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives."
UK Forces Supported Israel in Response to Iran Attacks
On Wednesday in a statement posted on X by the UK's Ministry of Defence, Defence Secretary John Healey said that British forces supported Israel in response to the Iranian missile attack.
“I completely condemn Iran’s attack against Israel,” Healey said.
“British forces have this evening played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East,” he added.
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