News | Middle East

A person on a stretcher being carried into American University of Beirut Medical Center after Israel detonated thousands of pagers belonging to Hezbollah members on Sept. 18, 2024. Picture: REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

‘WORST NIGHTMARE’: Israel pager attack explained, what’s next

The question remains: Why would Israel order the blasts now?

Deadly device explosions in Lebanon mean supply chain may have been compromised

More than 30 killed, thousands wounded over 2 days after devices used by Hezbollah were detonated

A car on fire in the capital after a blast in capital. Picture: X/Seamus_Malek

Thousands of terrorist walkie-talkies explode

Thousands of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah terrorists have blown up in a second deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon, as Israel declares a “new phase of war”.

Ambulances carrying wounded people arrive to the emergency of the American University hospital, September 17, 2024, Beirut, Lebanon. © Marwan Naamani / picture alliance via Getty Images

New wave of explosions hits walkie talkies in Lebanon

The blasts came a day after thousands of pagers used by Hezbollah exploded in an apparent Israeli operation

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Picture: Abir Sultan/Pool/AFP

World braces for ‘unprecedented total war’

As the Middle East implodes, fears are growing of a global war which would be “far more devastating than anything seen so far”.

Lebanese soldiers, Hezbollah members and members of the public gather outside a hospital where injured people were being transported in Beirut. Photograph: Wael Hamzeh/EPA

Hezbollah vows retaliation after exploding pagers kill at least nine and hurt almost 3,000

Israel yet to make statement about detonations across Lebanon that killed a 10-year-old girl and left 400 in a reported critical condition

Lebanese army soldiers block an entrance of a southern suburb of Beirut following the blasts

Hezbollah says exploding pagers kill three and injure many in Lebanon

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken at a joint press conference in London on September 10, 2024. © Alberto Pezzali, AP

US, UK, France and Germany threaten new sanctions on Iran for arming Russia with ballistic missiles

The US, UK, France and Germany on Tuesday announced sanctions against Iran for supplying Russia with short-range ballistic missiles to use in its war in Ukraine. In a joint statement, the governments of France, Britain and Germany said they were coordinating a “strong response” with their European and international partners, including cancelling bilateral air agreements with Iran.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, meets with Israel's President Isaac Herzog in Tel Aviv on Monday. (Kevin Mohatt/AFP/Getty Images)

Blinken says Israel agrees to U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, urges Hamas to do the same

U.S. secretary of state did not mention if plan meets demands made by militants

The inauguration ceremony for Masoud Pezeshkian, Iran’s new president, in Tehran in late July. PHOTO: IRANIAN PRESIDENCY/ZUMA PRESS

U.S. Warns Iran of ‘Serious Risk’ if It Conducts Major Attack on Israel

The Biden administration has been mounting an intensive campaign to encourage both sides to de-escalate.

Israel and Hezbollah trade strikes as tensions simmer

An Israeli air strike kills four in southern Lebanon, while Hezbollah drones injure two in Israel.

Ismail Haniyeh was in Tehran to attend the inauguration of its new president /. EPA

Iran says Hamas leader killed from close range

Western media reports suggest Israel's secret service planted bombs inside the building Ismail Haniyeh was staying in.

File photo: Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh (L) and Gaza leader Yahya Sinwar shown in the Palestinian coastal territory in October 2011. © Said Khatib, AFP

Who’s who: Top Hamas leaders on Israel’s radar

Since Hamas's deadly cross-border attack on October 7, 2023, Israeli authorities have been targeting the Palestinian militant group’s top leaders both in Hamas-controlled Gaza and on foreign soil. The group's political chief Ismail Haniyeh, who died in an air strike on his Tehran home on July 31, is the most senior Hamas official to have been killed so far. FRANCE 24 takes a look at some of the key figures on Israel’s hit list.