Image source, Reuters

The situation in the Middle East has changed dramatically in the past fortnight as Israel stepped up its attacks against Iran-backed Hezbollah, killing its long-term leader yesterday.

Here's a recap of recent events:

• 17-18 September: Pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah members explode in two waves across Lebanon, killing at least 37 people and wounding thousands more. Israel is believed to be behind the attacks
• 20 September: Israel strikes a Hezbollah stronghold in southern Beirut, killing 55 people - including, it says, a top commander
• 23 September: Israel launches a massive bombardment on Lebanon, targeting what it says are 1,300 Hezbollah sites in the south, east and in the capital. More than 550 people are killed in a single day – the deadliest day of the conflict in decades
• 25-26 September: Amid Israel’s continued strikes into Lebanon, with returned fire from Hezbollah, world leaders at a UN summit in New York urge de-escalation. Allies – including the US, UK and EU – form a 12-bloc coalition calling for a temporary ceasefire, which is rejected by Israel and not acknowledged by Hezbollah. The death toll in Lebanon soars past 630 people
• 27 September: Netanyahu addresses the UN vowing to "defeat Hezbollah". Later that day he orders the assassination of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah in strikes on the group’s headquarters in Beirut
• 28 September: On Saturday, the IDF announces it has killed Nasrallah, which is confirmed by Hezbollah a few hours later. The killing of the group’s leader of nearly 30 years, a significant figure of anti-Israeli resistance across the region, is a huge blow to Hezbollah in Lebanon and its main backer and regional power Iran

Could it all now escalate into a wider Middle East conflict? It depends on what these key parties - Hezbollah, Israel and Iran - do next writes our security correspondent Frank Gardner. And what is the scene like now for people living in Lebanon? Orla Guerin in Beirut has more.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Image source, Reuters

There is a tense and anxious mood in Lebanon, as the country waits to see how Hezbollah is going to respond to the killing, by Israel, of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

He was one of the most powerful, and controversial, men here, leading an organisation often described as a state within the state.

Hezbollah is considered a terrorist group by the UK, the US, and others but, in Lebanon, it is more than a militia: it is a political party, with representation in parliament and a social organisation, with significant support.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who announced three days of mourning for Nasrallah, warned that his country was facing a dangerous moment, as Israel indicates its offensive will not stop, and a ground invasion of southern Lebanon seems imminent.

Hezbollah is weakened, but has not been defeated. Far from it. It remains a formidable force, with thousands of battle-hardened fighters and tens of thousands of rockets, including missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel.

Concerns remain that this conflict could go beyond Lebanon and include other Iranian-backed groups in the region, including the Houthis in Yemen and militias in Iraq and Syria.

Across Lebanon, hospitals and shelters are already struggling to cope after two weeks of intense Israeli attacks that have killed at least 1,000 people and displaced tens of thousands more.

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
BBC Monitoring

Image source, EPA

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has confirmed the death of Brig Gen Abbas Nilforoushan, deputy commander of IRGC operations, in a statement.

Nilforoushan was killed in Israel's 27 September air strikes on Lebanon.

In the statement, there is no mention of IRGC’s retaliation over his killing, although IRGC has condemned “crimes of the Zionist regime” in Lebanon.

IRGC had previously promised several times to retaliate over the death of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh who was assassinated in Tehran in late July.

The statement describes him as an IRGC "military advisor in Lebanon” - a term Iran uses for its military forces in the region, including in Lebanon, Iraq and Syria.

The statement hails Nilforoushan for his role in defending "Resistance front" and Iran, and expresses condolences over his death to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, his family, comrades, and people of Iran.

Nilforoushan was appointed as the operations deputy of the IRGC in 2019, succeeding Ali Zahedi.

Prior to this, he served as the head of the IRGC's Command and Staff University and as the acting deputy commander of the Imam Hossein Headquarters, which is responsible for training and organising the paramilitary Basij forces.

• Read more about the history of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps

David Gritten
BBC News

Image source, EPA

Iran’s supreme leader has said the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah "will not go unavenged", a day after he was killed in an Israeli air strike in Lebanon.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced five days of mourning in Iran in response to what he called the "martyrdom of the great Nasrallah", describing him as "a path and a school of thought" that would continue.

Israel’s military said Nasrallah had "the blood of thousands... on his hands", and that it targeted him while he was "commanding more imminent attacks".

Key to what happens next in the Middle East is what Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Khamenei, decides.

So far, he and other senior Iranian figures have refrained from vowing to retaliate for the series of severe and humiliating blows that Israel has dealt Hezbollah in recent weeks, seemingly because Iran does not want a war with its arch-enemy.

Iran also has not carried out its threat to avenge the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in July, which Iran and Hamas blamed on Israel.

Both Hezbollah and Hamas are designated as terrorist organisations by Israel, the US, UK and other countries.

• Read more about Iran's warning that Hezbollah leader's death 'will not go unavenged'

A further update from the Israeli military says they have identified eight launches crossing from Lebanon into Israel, which it says fell into open areas.

It follows on from siren warnings that were triggered in Tiberias - in Israel's north - a short while ago.

Some more details are emerging on the latest Israeli strikes carried out in Lebanon.

Local media reports that at least six people have been killed in the south of the country and a further nine in the Bekaa Valley - a Hezbollah stronghold in north-eastern Lebanon.

The Arabic newspaper An-Nahar says that three people were killed in the southern Lebanon town of Anquon with another three killed in other locations across the southern area of Nabatieh.

In a separate report, the newspaper says nine members of a Syrian family - including children and the mother, who was Lebanese - were killed in the Bekaa Valley region.

As well as cross-border fire at Israel's northern border, it says it's also facing threats from the south.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has said within the last hour that it intercepted a drone coming across the Red Sea, to the south of the country.

Yesterday, they also said they intercepted a missile fired from Yemen by the Houthis - an Iranian-backed rebel group which considers Israel an enemy.

The Reuters and AFP news agencies reported that yesterday's missile had been timed with the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to the airport.

Aoife Walsh
Live page editor

Hezbollah confirmed on Saturday that its long-standing leader, Hassan Nasrallah, had been killed after intense Israeli air strikes on Lebanon.

Nasrallah's death is a major escalation in Israel's war with the Lebanese militant group, BBC Security Correspondent Frank Gardner writes, which has potentially brought the region a step closer to even wider conflict.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, vowed Nasrallah's death would "not go unavenged". Iran, which has backed Hezbollah both financially and militarily, declared several days of public mourning, as did Lebanon and Iraq.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described Nasrallah's death, which came after Israel on Friday attacked what it said was Hezbollah’s central headquarters in Beirut, as a "historic turning point". He said that by killing Nasrallah, Israel had "settled the score".

US President Joe Biden said Nasrallah's death was a "measure of justice" for his victims, but that Washington would keep working to de-escalate the conflict. "It's time for a ceasefire now," he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Israel's military says it carried out "dozens" of raids on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past few hours.

We'll continue to bring you the latest developments and analysis, so stay with us.

Israel's military says it carried out dozens of raids on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon in the past few hours.

In a statement posted on Telegram on Sunday, the Israel Defense Forces said the targets included projectile launchers aimed toward Israel.

The strikes targeted "buildings where weapons and military structures of the organisation were stored," according to the statement.

Israel has attacked "hundreds" of Hezbollah targets in the last day, it added.

What now for Hezbollah?published at 05:04 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

05:04 BST 29 September 2024

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Hezbollah is reeling from blow after blow.

Its command structure has been decapitated, its communications have been sabotaged and many of its weapons have been destroyed in air strikes.

The US-based Middle East security analyst Mohammed Al-Basha says: "The loss of Hassan Nasrallah will have significant implications, potentially destabilising the group and altering its political and military strategies in the short term."

But any expectation that this vehemently anti-Israel organisation is going to suddenly give up and sue for peace on Israel’s terms is likely to be misplaced.

Hezbollah has already vowed to continue the fight. It still has thousands of fighters, many of them recent veterans of combat in Syria, and they are demanding revenge.

It still has a substantial arsenal of missiles, many of them long-range, precision-guided weapons which can reach Tel Aviv and other cities. There will be pressure within its ranks to use those soon before they too get destroyed.

But if they do, in a mass attack that overwhelms Israel’s air defences and kills civilians, then Israel’s response is likely to be devastating, wreaking havoc on Lebanon’s infrastructure, or even extending to Iran.

Orla Guerin
BBC News

Image source, Goktay Koraltan / BBC

Lebanon is a country that knows war all too well - and it is not eager for more.

It still bears the scars of 15 years of civil war between 1975 and 1990, and of the last war between Hezbollah and Israel in 2006. But for some, including Beirut's Governor Marwan Abboud, Israel’s recent escalation already feels worse.

"It’s the worst moment that the country passed through," he said.

"I am shocked by the large number of civilian casualties. I am also shocked by the silence of the international community - as if what’s happening here does not mean anything."

We spoke at the edge of Beirut’s Martyrs Square, where many families slept in the open last night after fleeing Israel’s strikes in the southern suburb of Dahieh - Hezbollah's heartland.

They remain in the square today - unsure where to turn for safety, like many in Lebanon.

Asked what he thought Israel’s plan was, the governor replied: "I don't know but Israel wants to kill and to kill and to kill. May god protect this country."

His parting words were bleak. "It’s the saddest day of my life," he said, his voice heavy with emotion.

Read more here.

Image source, Reuters

• Hezbollah leader killed: Hezbollah has confirmed the death of its leader Hassan Nasrallah, after Israel said it had killed him in an air strike on Beirut. Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel "settled the score" with Nasrallah's death, calling it a "historic turning point"
• 'Measure of justice': US President Joe Biden said it was a "measure of justice" for Nasrallah's victims, after what he called a "40 year reign of terror". Biden also repeated his call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah

• Iran vows vengeance: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Nasrallah's death "will not go unavenged", and he announced five days of public mourning. Iran, a key ally of Hezbollah, also called for an emergency meeting with the UN security council

• Strikes continue: Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed at least 33 people and wounded 195 others on Saturday, the Lebanese health ministry said. UN refugee chief Filippo Grandi said "well over 200,000 people are displaced inside Lebanon" and more than 50,000 have fled to neighbouring Syria. About 70,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes in northern Israel since near-daily cross border fire between the two groups began nearly a year ago

On Saturday, International Correspondent Orla Guerin visited one of the locations hit by an Israeli strike in Beirut. Watch below:

Israel claims its biggest victory yet against Hezbollahpublished at 02:58 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

02:58 BST 29 September 2024

Jeremy Bowen
International Editor

It is time to stop talking about the Middle East being on the brink of a much more serious war. After the devastating Israeli attack on Lebanon – which killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah – it feels as if they’re tumbling over it.

It was a huge series of blasts, according to people who were in Beirut. A friend of mine in the city said it was the most powerful she had heard in any of Lebanon’s wars.

As rescue workers searched among the rubble, Hezbollah remained silent on the fate of their leader - before confirming his death on Saturday afternoon.

It will reinforce Israel's belief that this is their greatest triumph yet against their great enemy.

They have mobilised more soldiers, and seem to want to pick up the pace. They may even be thinking about a ground incursion into Lebanon.

It is a massively escalatory action. Over the last eleven months there has been an ongoing tit-for-tat between both sides, though with more pressure from the Israelis.

But now they have decided they are going to push.

Read Jeremy Bowen's full analysis

BBC Verify's Merlyn Thomas has been analysing numerous videos shot from multiple vantage points of Israel's strikes on the Lebanese capital, Beirut on Friday. Watch below:

David Gritten
BBC News

Image source, EPA

Nasrallah, the former leader of Lebanon's militant Shia Islamist movement, was one of the best known and most influential figures in the Middle East.

Prior to his death, Nasrallah had not been seen in public for years because of fears of being assassinated by Israel.

And on Saturday, Israeli military said they killed Nasrallah in a strike on the Lebanese capital.

Nasrallah was a shadowy figure with close personal links to Iran who played a key role in turning Hezbollah into the political and military force it is today. He was revered by the group's supporters.

Under Nasrallah's leadership, Hezbollah helped train fighters from the Palestinian armed group Hamas, as well as militias in Iraq and Yemen, and obtained missiles and rockets from Iran for use against Israel.

He steered Hezbollah's evolution from a militia founded to fight Israeli troops occupying Lebanon, into a military force stronger than the Lebanese army, a powerbroker in Lebanese politics, a major provider of health, education and social services, and a key part of its backer Iran's drive for regional supremacy.

Read more here.

Iran has called for an urgent meeting with the UN Security Council following the killing of Hezbollah’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

In a letter to the 15 members of the council, Iran’s UN Ambassador Amir Iravani warned against “any attack” on his country’s “diplomatic premises and representatives”, saying that Tehran would not tolerate “such aggression”.

“Iran will not hesitate to exercise its inherent rights under international law to take every measure in defense of its vital national and security interests," Iravani said, while also urging the security council to take “decisive action" against Israel to avoid “dragging the region into full-scale war”.

Iran has backed Hezbollah, both financially and militarily, for many years.

Earlier, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei warned that Nasrallah’s death would “not go unavenged”.

More than 50,000 people who were living in Lebanon have crossed into Syria to flee Israeli strikes, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

“Well over 200,000 are now displaced inside Lebanon,” Filippo Grandi said in a post on X, external, adding that UN “relief operations” were underway in “coordination with both governments”.

Since 8 October, there has been near-daily cross border fire between Israel and Hezbollah and around 70,000 people are displaced from northern Israel.

US forced back into crisis management modepublished at 00:50 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

00:50 BST 29 September 2024

Tom Bateman
State Department correspondent, in Washington DC

US President Joe Biden welcomed Hassan Nasrallah’s killing, saying his death is a "measure of justice for his many victims".

But the Israeli decision to escalate sharply strikes a potentially fatal blow to his entire strategy of the last 11 months - which had been to try to stop the war in Gaza engulfing the region.

So the US is forced back into crisis management mode. Biden says he’s boosting America’s defensive posture in the Middle East, while the Pentagon has warned Iran-backed militias not to try to use this moment to attack American bases.

Despite the earlier US attempts to rein in the Israeli leader and coax Hezbollah to a truce, Israeli PM Netanyahu is signalling strongly to Biden he will act as he sees fit, whatever the pressure from Washington, safe in the knowledge the flow of American weapons will continue.

What will Israel do next?published at 00:20 British Summer Time 29 September 2024

00:20 BST 29 September 2024

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

Israel’s assassination of Hassan Nasrallah, the long-standing leader of Hezbollah, is a major escalation in its war with the Lebanese militant group.

It has, potentially, brought the region one step closer to a much wider and even more damaging conflict, one that pulls in both Iran and the US.

Israel clearly has no intention of pausing its military campaign for the 21-day ceasefire proposed by 12 nations, including its closest ally, the United States.

Its military reckon they have Hezbollah on the back foot now, so it will want to press on with its offensive until the threat of those missiles is removed.

Short of a capitulation by Hezbollah - which is unlikely - it is hard to see how Israel can achieve its war aim of removing the threat of Hezbollah attacks without sending in troops on the ground.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have released footage of its infantry training close to the border for this very purpose.

But Hezbollah has also spent the last 18 years, since the end of the last war, training to fight the next one. In his final public speech before his death, Nasrallah told his followers that an Israeli incursion into south Lebanon would be, in his words, "a historic opportunity".

For the IDF, going into Lebanon would be relatively easy. But getting out could - like Gaza - take months.

Read more: What might Hezbollah, Israel and Iran do next?