Would you like to receive notifications on latest updates of the following headlines?

Iran summons ambassadors as Israel intensifies attack

POSTED ON October 4, 2024 •   World      BY Benedicta Bassey
Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian/ Photo credit: NIAC Action

Iran has summoned the German and Austrian ambassadors after their governments rebuked the Islamic republic over its missile attacks on Israel, state media reported.

The move, according to the official IRNA news agency, was in response to the “unacceptable measures” by Germany and Austria in summoning Iran’s envoys over its attacks on Tuesday.

AFP reports that Iran’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the attack was a “legitimate, responsible and effective response in punishing the aggressor Zionist regime (Israel)”.

Israel’s military said it had hit Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in the Lebanese capital, Beirut, as troops battled militants near the border and warplanes bombarded their strongholds around the country.

Israel announced this week that its troops had started “ground raids” into parts of southern Lebanon, a stronghold of Hezbollah, after days of heavy bombardments of areas across the country where the group holds sway, AFP reports.

The bombing has killed more than 1,000 people, according to Lebanon’s health ministry, and forced hundreds of thousands to flee their homes in a country already mired in economic and political crisis.

Israel, at war in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack, said it shifted its focus to secure its northern border and ensure the safe return of more than 60,000 people displaced by Hezbollah attacks over the past year.

On the Gaza front, the Israeli military said a strike three months ago killed three senior Hamas leaders, including Rahwi Mushtaha, the head of the militant movement’s government in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

In Lebanon, the Israeli military said it hit “targets belonging to Hezbollah’s intelligence headquarters in Beirut.”

Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency reported four air strikes on Beirut’s southern suburbs.

A source close to Hezbollah told AFP they targeted an evacuated building that housed the group’s media relations office and a warehouse near the airport.

Israel told Lebanese people to evacuate more than 20 villages and the city of Nabatiyeh.

“For your own safety, you must evacuate your homes immediately and head north of the Awali River. Save your lives,” army spokesman Avichay Adraee said on X.

France has condemned Israel’s move to declare United Nations chief Antonio Guterres “persona non grata”, saying the decision was “unjustified.”

“France regrets the unjustified, serious and counter-productive decision taken by Israel to declare the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, persona non grata,” the French foreign ministry said in a Thursday statement.

Paris said it had “full support for and confidence” in Guterres, adding that the UN played “a fundamental role in the stability of the region.”

Israel has been a harsh critic of the UN, with ties between the state and the international body souring even more after the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel.

The attack triggered international criticisms of the Islamic republic.

Also on Thursday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei condemned what he called “the continued biased and irresponsible approach” of the G7 group after it criticised the attack on Israel.

READ ALSO
French Parliament Passes Bill Assisting Patients To Die
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

The French parliament has voted to grant individuals in the final stages of terminal illness the opt...

READ ALSO
Visa 'Extraction Scheme': Africans Lose Over €60M Annually to Denied Western Visas, Sparking Outcry and Reform Demands
BY Suleiman Jimoh May 28, 2025 0

The Brief•    Africa lost over €56 million in non-refundable Schengen visa fees...

READ ALSO
Russian Airstrikes Claim 12 Lives Amid Ongoing Prisoner Swap
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 25, 2025 0

Russian airstrikes resulted in the deaths of at least 12 individuals in Ukraine overnight into Sunda...

READ ALSO
Australia's Central Bank Cuts Interest Rate to 3.85% Amid Global Tariff Uncertainty
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 20, 2025 0

On Tuesday, Australia’s central bank reduced its main interest rate to its lowest level in two...

READ ALSO
Trump Launches Investigation into Kamala Harris over Celebrity Endorsements
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 19, 2025 0

US President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he plans to initiate a “major investigation...

READ ALSO
Trade Tensions Rise as South Korea and U.S. Prepare for Key Discussions
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 16, 2025 0

AFP - South Korea is prepared to restart tariff discussions with Washington during an important APEC...

READ ALSO
Will Pope Leo XIV Lose His American Citizenship? A Legal and Diplomatic Puzzle Unfolds
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 14, 2025 0

VATICAN CITY – When Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV on May 8, he beca...

READ ALSO
China, Nigeria Strengthen Diplomatic Ties through Cultural Exchange
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 12, 2025 0

ABUJA, Nigeria - China and Nigeria are seeking to strengthen their diplomatic ties through cultural...

OUR CHANNELS:

Visa 'Extraction Scheme': Africans Lose Over €60M Annually to Denied Western Visas, Sparking Outcry and Reform Demands
BY Suleiman Jimoh May 28, 2025 0

The Brief•    Africa lost over €56 million in non-refundable Schengen visa fees...


LASG Launches 2025 Entrance Exam for Junior Secondary Schools
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

LAGOS, Nigeria - The Lagos State Government has announced the start of the 2025 entrance examination...


PDP ex-chairman’s son, partner bag 14yrs imprisonment over N2.2bn subsidy fraud
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

The son of former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chairman Ahmadu Ali, Mamman Ali and his partner Chr...


56-Year-Old Sentenced to Life in Prison for Assaulting Stepdaughter
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

A 56-year-old man named Jaiyeola Oluwafemi has been sentenced to life in prison by a High Court in E...


Tinubu Grants Two-Week Grace Period for Ground Rent Defaulters in FCT
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has overridden the FCT minister’s order on ground rent defaulters by ste...


Nigeria Police Force Takes Action Against Officers Caught Extorting Motorists in Viral Video
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

The Nigeria Police Force has located and called in a group of officers seen in a viral video that sh...


Nigeria's Internet Penetration Struggles to Meet 2025 Goals Amid Economic Pressures
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

Nigeria's telecommunications industry is facing a challenging situation, with internet penetration r...


EU and World Bank Back Nigeria's Ambitious 3MTT Program to Boost Digital Skills
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 27, 2025 0

The European Union and the World Bank are supporting the Nigerian Federal Government as it expands i...


FULL TEXT: Tinubu’s Inspiring Message to Nigeria’s Children
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 27, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his administration's dedication to protecting the rights and we...


Tinubu Champions Child Rights on International Children’s Day
BY Abiodun Saheed Omodara May 28, 2025 0

President Bola Tinubu has reiterated his government's dedication to safeguarding the rights, aspirat...


More Articles

Load more...

Menu