BEIRUT
\nHezbollah said it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel reported eight soldiers were killed \u2014 its first losses since launching cross-border raids this week.
\nThe clashes came hours after Iran launched its largest missile attack yet on Israel, warning that it would step up its response if Israel retaliates.
\nUS President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would not support a strike by Israel aimed at wiping out Iran\u2019s nuclear facilities in retaliation for its latest missile attack.
\n\u201cWe\u2019ll be discussing with the Israelis what they\u2019re going to do,\u201d he said, adding that all G7 members agree Israel has \u201ca right to respond, but they should respond in proportion.
\nMeanwhile, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian again warned of a \u201cstronger\u201d response, though he stressed Iran was \u201cnot looking for war\u201d.
\nAt the UN, meanwhile, both Israel and Iran on Wednesday threatened each other with retaliation if attacked, as the United Nations Security Council met amid fears of a wider war in the Middle East.
\nExpressing deep concern over the escalating hostilities in the Middle East, Pakistan on Wednesday also called for a de-escalation of hostilities and conflict resolution in the region.
\nA statement from the Foreign Office said Israel has \u201cendangered regional peace and security with the ongoing genocide in Gaza. The rec\u00adent invasion of Lebanon has further intensified these tensions, affecting the lives of innocent civilians.\u201d
\n\u201cPakistan reiterates its call for the UN Security Council to uphold peace and security in the region, safeguard Lebanon\u2019s sovereignty, and put an end to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza,\u201d the statement said.<\/p>\n
Targeting south Beirut
\nIsrael continued to bombard south Beirut, an area of tightly packed blocks of flats, shops and businesses that is usually teeming with life.
\nBut on Wednesday, the rubble-strewn streets and burning buildings were almost empty after days of Israeli bombardment and evacuation orders. AFP correspondents heard about 20 explosions and saw smoke billowing over the area.
\nYoung men on mopeds sped along largely empty roads and residents grabbed what they could from their homes, some driving off with mattresses tied to car roofs.
\nHezbollah claimed it had forced Israeli soldiers to retreat, targeted an Israeli unit with explosives and destroyed three Merkava tanks with rockets as they advanced on Maroun al-Ras village.
\nThe Israeli army said it staged two brief incursions into Lebanon, warning residents to evacuate more than 20 areas.
\nLebanon\u2019s disaster management agency said 1,873 people had died since Israel and Hezbollah began trading fire following the events of October 7 last year, displacing hundreds of thousands.<\/p>\n
One casualty
\nHours after Israel announced the start of ground operations in Lebanon on Tuesday, Iran had fired some 200 missiles including hypersonic weapons, sending frightened Israeli civilians into shelters.
\nThe attack was retaliation for the deaths of Hassan Nasrallah and Gen Abbas Nilforoushan, the IRGC had said in a statement.
\nThe Israeli military said several Iranian missiles struck inside air force bases without causing any casualties or damage.
\nTwo people were wounded by shrapnel and one Palestinian man was said to be the only casualty.
\nThe man was killed when \u201cpieces of a rocket fell from the sky and hit him\u201d, Jericho governor Hussein Hamayel said.
\nSeparately, the Reuters news age\u00adncy claimed on Wednesday that Iran\u2019s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to flee Leba\u00adnon days before he was assassinated.
\nThe message was passed on by Gen Nilforoushan, who died in the same strike that killed Nasrallah.
\nFollowing the assassination, Khamenei is said to be worried about Israeli infiltration of Tehran, has remained in a secure location inside Iran since Saturday.
\nOfficials said he personally ordered a barrage of around 200 missiles to be fired at Israel on Tuesday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
BEIRUT Hezbollah said it repelled an Israeli infiltration into southern Lebanon on Wednesday, as Israel reported eight soldiers were killed \u2014 its first losses since launching cross-border raids this week. The clashes came hours after Iran launched its largest missile attack yet on Israel, warning that it would step up its response if Israel retaliates. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":435204,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-435169","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-world"],"yoast_head":"\n