Pope Francis, Back from Flu, Calls Airstrikes on Lebanon ‘Unacceptable’

A cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli air strike on the Rihan hills area in Jezzine in southern Lebanon on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
A cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli air strike on the Rihan hills area in Jezzine in southern Lebanon on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Pope Francis, Back from Flu, Calls Airstrikes on Lebanon ‘Unacceptable’

A cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli air strike on the Rihan hills area in Jezzine in southern Lebanon on September 25, 2024. (AFP)
A cloud of smoke erupts during an Israeli air strike on the Rihan hills area in Jezzine in southern Lebanon on September 25, 2024. (AFP)

Pope Francis called Israeli strikes on Lebanon a "terrible escalation" of the Middle East conflict on Wednesday at the end of his weekly general audience at the Vatican, which went ahead two days after he cancelled meetings over mild flu.

The pope said the attacks, in which Israel says it has been striking targets affiliated with the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, were "unacceptable" and urged the international community to do everything possible to halt the fighting.

Francis did not specifically identify Israel, but said he was "saddened by news from Lebanon in recent days that bombardments have caused much destruction and many victims".

Since Monday morning, the Israeli offensive has killed 569 people, including 50 children, and wounded 1,835 in Lebanon, caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad said on Wednesday.

The 87-year-old pontiff, who has suffered bouts of ill health in recent years, appeared in good form through his audience although he coughed lightly a few times while speaking.

The Vatican has not provided details about the pope's health since announcing on Monday he had cancelled his meetings for that day. It said at the time the pontiff had made the decision as a precautionary measure in view of a trip to Luxembourg and Belgium, which starts on Thursday.

At the audience, the pope confirmed his plans to continue with the visit, and asked for prayers for its success.

The tour, his 46th foreign visit as pope, comes less than two weeks after he returned from a demanding 12-day, four-country excursion around Southeast Asia and Oceania.

The pope referred to the strikes in Lebanon in off-the-cuff remarks at the end of his hour-long audience.

Francis, pope since March 2013, now regularly uses a wheelchair due to knee and back pain. Earlier this year, he cancelled several appointments over what the Vatican variously described as a cold, bronchitis and influenza.

On the Sept. 2-13 trip to Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, Francis maintained a packed schedule, headlining more than 40 events, and travelling some 33,000 km (20,500 miles).

Francis started the general audience on Wednesday by taking a tour around the crowd in an open-air popemobile, waving to people as a band played orchestral versions of pop songs.



Hezbollah Says it Repelled Israeli Forces Infiltrating Adaisseh

A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
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Hezbollah Says it Repelled Israeli Forces Infiltrating Adaisseh

A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)
A picture taken from a position in Israel by the border with southern Lebanon shows a fire in the area of the Lebanese village of Adaisseh during Israeli bombardment on October 1, 2024. (Photo by Jalaa MAREY / AFP)

Hezbollah said it confronted Israeli forces infiltrating the Lebanese town of Adaisseh early on Wednesday, and forced them to retreat.

The military says that Israeli troops entered Lebanon late Monday, though it was not clear whether they remained inside or were moving in and out of the country.

In a surprise announcement, Israel said Tuesday that its ground forces have been operating covertly in Lebanon for the last year, carrying out dozens of small ground operations. Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, the army's spokesman, said the current raid is an expansion of these activities.

The Lebanese army and UNIFIL, a UN peacekeeping force stationed in southern Lebanon, have not confirmed that Israeli troops crossed the border, although UNIFIL said it was notified that they were going to.

A military official, speaking on condition of anonymity under briefing guidelines, said Israeli ground troops were “within walking distance” of the border, targeting the small Lebanese villages hundreds of meters from Israeli territory.

The military says Hezbollah fighters remain in the area, despite heavy Israeli bombardment over the past few weeks. It says they are using the areas to launch attacks on Israel and to store weapons.