Sky News correspondents report from the site of strikes inside Israel and Lebanon

Published

9 months ago

October 3, 2024

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Iran launched nearly 200 missiles on Israel on Tuesday night in what it said was in retaliation to strikes by the Israeli military against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Sky News correspondents are reporting from both sides on the conflict. On Wednesday, Middle East correspondent Alistair Bunkall visited a school in the town of Gedera, just south of Tel Aviv, which took a direct hit from at least one Iranian ballistic missile.

Meanwhile, international correspondent John Sparks was taken to several bomb sites in the district of Dahieh in Beirut, Lebanon, an area that has been pounded by the Israelis over the past 10 days.

Middle East latest: Eight IDF soldiers killed in Lebanon fighting

This is what they saw.

A school yard covered with broken glass and piles of rubble – Alistair Bunkall

When we visited an Israeli school in the town of Gedera, on Wednesday morning, a large crater caused by at least one of the Iranian ballistic missiles the previous night had already been filled in.

But windows were shattered and classroom walls had been blown out by the blast. The school yard was covered with broken glass and piles of rubble.

People were at the site cleaning up, and the headmistress inspected the damage to her school.

The school is surrounded by apartment blocks, and on the outskirts of the town is an Israeli air base.

People we spoke to thanked God for protecting them.

Israel‘s sophisticated alert and missile defence systems ultimately kept casualties low – only one person was killed, a Palestinian in the West Bank, and three Israelis lightly injured.

Videos on social media suggest a nearby air base took a direct hit. The Israeli military has hinted at damage but said its bases are still operational. It could be that the Iranian missiles had been aimed at that air base but missed and hit the school instead.

No one was on campus when the attack took place, which meant there were no casualties.

In April, when Iran first attacked, many of the missiles were said to be dummies, Tehran gave regional countries forewarning of the attack and they launched slow flying drones in a first wave, allowing Israel’s allies to prepare.

Last night, there was little warning and Iran only fired ballistic missiles – they have a travelling time of only 12 minutes and carry a large payload.

Israel has vowed to respond, and few doubt they will.

The US, which has had little influence on Israel over the past year, will be urging a calm and calibrated response, but Benjamin Netanyahu sees a chance to change the balance of power in the Middle East and might be tempted to go big.

Israel’s enemies though, are also fighting for their very survival.

Everyone is bracing for the next escalation.

Acrid smoke bellowed from the ruins – John Sparks

In a fast-expanding war of many separate fronts, the district of Dahieh in the city of Beirut, looks and feels extreme.

We were brought here by the black-clad members of Hezbollah’s security team and we watched them move in and out of our convoy on their mopeds.

It was a rare opportunity to see one of the most densely populated parts of the city – an area that has been pounded by the Israelis over the past 10 days.

A pile of rubble awaited us on our first stop, the remains of the offices of a religious television station called Al Sirat we were told.

The mound had been decorated with flags and portraits of Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s former secretary-general, who was assassinated in a bunker by the Israelis 10 days ago.

But the true purpose of our visit soon became clear. This spot, like two other bomb sites we were taken to, were ordinary civilian neighbourhoods said our minders, not the weapon stores – or factories – that Israel claims.

A Hezbollah-affiliated reporter, holding a mangled-looking camera lens, came over to make the point.

“Look, this has got nothing to do with politics. The Israelis said there was a weapons pile here but look around you. This is the remnants of a television camera,” said Hosein Mortada, pointing at the lump of metal in his hand.

Israel says its operations are “targeted and precise”, but no one believes that here. Equally unusual was an opportunity to speak to local residents in Dahieh.

“I live in an area nearby, where they don’t have members of Hezbollah but they’ve still destroyed it,” said a man on a moped called Ahmed.

“Every day, they put out threats that they are going to bomb this and that – calling them ‘bases for Hezbollah’. We return after the bombing and we don’t find a single bullet from Hezbollah.”

“Are people still living there?” I asked.

“Of course they do,” he replied, adding: “Just look around you, where are we going to go?”

I understood the point Ahmed was making – Dahieh and surrounds are inhabited by some of the poorest in the city. The decision by residents to leave their homes would – for many – result in homelessness.

The decision then between a mat on the seafront – or the anxiety of remaining at home.

The last site we were taken to was great smouldering ruin that had been hit by multiple airstrikes some 12 hours before.

Acrid smoke – and the smell of high explosive – bellowed from the ruins of several apartment blocks.

Again, we were told that it was a peaceful neighbourhood, not a Hezbollah weapons store, and several men mounted a concrete pile to give voice to the anger within.

“I stand with you Hassan Nasrallah,” they shouted, until members of the security team ordered them to desist.

Within minutes we were ordered to leave, the security team telling us to go, “for our own safety”. Our window had closed, Dahieh was off-limits again and its people rushing for the shadows.

World

Helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashes in India, killing seven people

Published

56 mins ago

June 15, 2025

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Helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims crashes in India, killing seven people

A helicopter carrying Hindu pilgrims has crashed in India, killing seven people on board.

The accident happened within minutes of the helicopter taking off, officials said, on what should have been a 10-minute flight.

The helicopter was flying to Guptkashi, a prominent Hindu pilgrimage site in the Himalayas, from Kedarnath temple town in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand.

It comes three days after an Air India flight crashed less than a minute after taking off from Ahmedabad airport in northwestern India, killing at least 270 people.

The helicopter, which was operated by private helicopter service Aryan Aviation, went down in a forested area several miles from the Kedarnath pilgrimage route at around 5.30am local time.

Officials said the crash was believed to have been caused by poor weather conditions.

Authorities say they have launched a search and rescue operation and are expected to review operational protocols for flights in the region.

The dead include the pilot and pilgrims from the neighbouring state of Uttar Pradesh and western states of Maharashtra and Gujarat, according to officials. The bodies were badly burned in a fire that followed the crash, they said.

Tens of thousands of pilgrims visit Kedarnath, which is home to one of the four most sacred Hindu temple shrines, each summer. Many use helicopter services due to the difficult mountainous terrain.

Helicopter mishaps are not uncommon in the region, where sudden weather changes and high-altitude flying conditions can pose risks.

Earlier this month, a helicopter operating in the Kedarnath Valley made an emergency landing shortly after taking off on a highway due to a technical fault. The pilot was injured but all five passengers on board were unharmed.

In May, a helicopter crashed in Uttarkashi district, killing six people, including the pilot. One person survived.

World

Irish politician faces deportation from Egypt after trying to cross into Gaza

Published

19 hours ago

June 14, 2025

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Irish politician faces deportation from Egypt after trying to cross into Gaza

An Irish politician who was detained in Egypt trying to cross into Gaza says the police were violent towards the group after seizing his phone.

People Before Profit-Solidarity TD (MP) Paul Murphy was part of a large demonstration attempting to march to the Rafah crossing in a bid to get aid into the region.

The opposition politician said his phone and passport were confiscated on Friday before he was put on a bus to Cairo airport for deportation.

Israel-Iran live: ‘Tehran will burn’ if it keeps firing missiles

Footage of the seconds before his phone was seized shows authorities forcibly dragging protesters away from the sit-down demonstration.

Ireland’s deputy premier said several Irish citizens who were detained have now been released. Mr Murphy confirmed he was among the released protesters, posting a photo on his Facebook page saying he was back in Cairo and “meeting shortly to decide next steps”.

In a message from Mr Murphy after he was detained, posted online by his social media team, he said: “I’m ok, but they still have my phone.

“Egyptian police say we’re going to airport but this isn’t the road we came on because there are 1000s of marchers on the streets. They’re taking us south past a lake, then west towards Cairo.

“Violence got worse after they seized my phone.

“One American woman in my group was badly kicked & beaten, and had her hijab torn off.”

Sky News has contacted Egypt’s police regarding Mr Murphy’s claims of violence towards the group.

Mr Murphy previously said other Irish citizen were among those who had been stopped from entering Gaza.

“The world has watched a horrific genocide for the past 20 months. Since March, a total attempt of starvation,” he added.

“And that this is a peaceful march to demand that it be ended and demand that western governments stop their complicity.”

Appeal to foreign affairs minister

Mr Murphy’s partner, Councillor Jess Spear, had previously appealed to Ireland’s Foreign Affairs Minister and deputy premier Simon Harris to make a public statement on Mr Murphy’s detention.

She expressed “relief” that the group had been released from detention.

She said: “However, they still want to reach Rafah to try and get humanitarian aid into Gaza. That has been the sole purpose of being in Egypt.

“Paul has appealed to Tanaiste Simon Harris to put pressure on the Egyptian authorities to let the marchers reach Rafah. The situation of the people of Gaza worsens by the day as they suffer starvation imposed by Israel.”

World

Nuclear threat wasn’t the only reason Israel attacked Iran

Published

21 hours ago

June 14, 2025

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Nuclear threat wasn't the only reason Israel attacked Iran

Why did Israel attack Iran? Certainly, it was worried about the threat of a nuclear weapon being developed.

But it’s also becoming clearer that there was a second reason – that this is about laying the ground for regime change in Tehran.

Follow latest: Israel warns ‘Tehran will burn’ if it continues

Because, hours after his country launched its first, surprise attack, the message from Benjamin Netanyahu couldn’t be clearer – Iranians, he said, should overthrow their “evil and oppressive regime”. He said Israel’s attack would “pave the way for you to achieve your freedom”.

On the one hand, he would say that, wouldn’t he? The Iranian government does not recognise the legitimacy of the Israeli state and has called for its destruction, while funding proxy groups that have attacked Israel – including Hamas, Lebanese Hezbollah, and the Houthis in Yemen.

But perhaps this time there is more than just wishful thinking.

Although it’s very hard to gauge the level of opposition in Iran, it seems likely the majority of the population of 90 million are at least disenchanted with the regime.

Living standards have fallen and supplies are running short. While tens of billions of dollars have been spent on a nuclear programme, electricity is being rationed and cooking gas is running low.

Priority is being given to those who are close to the regime, notably the members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a branch of the Iranian army that is fiercely loyal to the ruling regime.

The IRGC are crucial in propping up Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country’s 86-year-old supreme leader. Not only do they offer military power, but also domestic surveillance, intimidation and secret policing in order to stifle dissent.

So for any opposition to emerge, let alone flourish, the IRGC would need to be degraded – and that is precisely what Israel has done, targeting its senior leaders as well as bases.

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The regular army, so far, has been left alone. Israel’s gamble is that a majority of the rest of the military harbour the same dislike of the IRGC as the wider population.

It was no coincidence that Netanyahu quoted the expression “woman, life, freedom”, which was a rallying call during the 2022 protests in Iran – eventually suppressed by the IRGC.

It is very hard to believe that a coherent, public opposition movement will burst into life any time soon. Iranians are well aware their regime will respond with brutality against any attempted uprising.

Instead, dissidents seem to be biding their time and waiting to see if Israel continues its assaults, and whether they can sense genuine signs that the regime is starting to struggle to maintain control. If the cracks emerge, then regime change – or at least an attempt – is possible.

Possible, but not certain. “They will do anything to stay in power, and when other uprisings have happened, they’ve been successfully suppressed,” one Middle East diplomat tells me.

“And there is no unifying leader ready to step in. Even if there is regime change, it could be a military takeover rather than a popular uprising.”

And that leaves one final question – if Khamenei did feel his grip on power was failing, might he still have the time, desire and power to resort to final, desperate military actions? The truth is, we don’t know.

At the moment, the Middle East is a region full of unanswerable, high-risk questions.