Israel strikes more Hezbollah targets as Iran backs cease-fire

Israel carried out huge bombing raids in the suburbs of Beirut alongside ground attacks in southern Lebanon while Iran said it would support a conditional cease-fire in the conflicts involving its allied groups Hezbollah and Hamas.

The airstrikes in the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital targeted the potential successor of Hezbollah's assassinated leader Hassan Nasrallah and other figures, the New York Times and other US media reported, citing Israeli officials. It was not known if Hashem Safi Al Din died in the bombardment, which residents said shook buildings in the city.

Israel has stepped up a campaign to eliminate threats from Iran-backed Hezbollah after almost a year of trading cross-border rocket fire, killing much of its top leadership and sending troops into southern Lebanon for the first time since a 2006 war. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday it has killed 250 Hezbollah militants since Monday, and troops recovered rocket launchers, explosives and other weapons while clearing the area just north of the border.

Two Israeli soldiers were killed while fighting in northern Israel, the IDF said. Israeli public broadcaster KAN said they were hit by a drone attack from Iraq.

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi travelled to Beirut on Friday and met with Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati. He said has discussed a cease-fire with both Lebanese officials and other countries in the region, according to comments shown on Iranian state TV. Araghchi added that any truce would have to be agreeable to Hezbollah and Hamas and take effect alongside a cease-fire in Gaza.

The US and others have been pushing Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to agree to a truce in both the Palestinian territory and Lebanon without success. Hezbollah has made a cease-fire conditional on something similar in Gaza, and Hamas hasn't indicated a willingness to agree to terms.

Araghichi's trip to the Lebanese capital came three days after Iran fired 200 ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the attacks on Hezbollah and the killing of a Hamas leader in July, and Netanyahu has vowed to respond. That's raised fears of major tit-for-tat attacks that could trigger a region-wide war and drag in the US, Israel's main ally.

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei "leading Friday prayers in Tehran for the first time since January 2020," told a huge crowd the Islamic Republic will strike again if necessary, having so far delivered the "minimum punishment"  possible to Israel. He urged Arab and Muslim countries to unite against what he described as a common enemy.

"We'll neither hesitate nor rush in fulfilling our duties," Khamenei said.

Oil headed for its strongest weekly increase in more than a year on fears that Israel may decide to strike Iranian petroleum facilities after President Joe Biden said the US was discussing whether to support such a move.

Israeli assets have been hit, with the shekel down 2.5% against the dollar this week, one of the worst performers globally.

Netanyahu is under pressure at home to carry out a bigger counter-strike against Iran than in April. Then, Israel caused limited damage at an Iranian military facility in revenge for Tehran firing 300 missiles and drones, almost all of which were intercepted.

The outcome was similar on Tuesday, though Iran gave less warning and more missiles breached Israel's air defences. One person was killed in the West Bank, and Israeli media reported that several air bases were hit. The IDF confirmed Friday that missiles struck one air base, Nevatim, but said no real damage was done.

Israel said its actions in Lebanon "more than 1,500 people have been killed in airstrikes in recent weeks and around one million have been displaced, according to Lebanese officials" are necessary to end a year of cross-border rocket attacks by Hezbollah. Those, carried out in solidarity with Hamas, have forced tens of thousands of Israelis to flee their homes in the north of the country.

Lebanon said 37 more people were killed by strikes on Thursday and more than 150 were wounded. As well as Beirut, Israeli jets struck south Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley in the north-east and the Mount Lebanon region in the north, the Lebanese health ministry said.

Israel struck the main crossing between Syria and Lebanon, which cut off the route completely, according to the Lebanese state-run National News Agency. Tens of thousands of people have fled to Syria, which Israel accuses of allowing the smuggling of weapons to Hezbollah. The IDF meanwhile ordered the evacuation of more than 30 settlements in southern Lebanon.

The Group of Seven nations called for "restraint" among the warring sides and warned about an "uncontrollable escalation in the Middle East."

Truce talks between Hamas and Israel have stalled, but fighting has eased with the Palestinian group suffering dire losses. That's allowed Israel to focus more on the north and Hezbollah.

The US considers both Hezbollah and Hamas as terrorist groups.

The fighting in Gaza has spilled over into the West Bank, where control is split between Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The Israeli air force overnight bombed the West Bank town of Tulkarm, killing a local Hamas leader and other militants. The strike also killed 18 people in a refugee camp, the Palestinian health ministry said.