Live: 15 killed in Israeli bombing of camp in central Gaza

The Lebanese health ministry confirmed that five people were killed and ten others injured in Israeli air strikes on the Bint Jbeil area in southern Lebanon.

Lebanon’s Ministry of Health reported that 46 people were killed and 85 injured in Israeli air strikes over the past day.

The strikes hit towns and villages in southern Lebanon, the Bekaa Valley, and Mount Lebanon, according to the ministry's statement.

The ongoing conflict has left over 1,900 dead and about 9,000 injured in Lebanon over the past year, with most casualties occurring in the past two weeks of intensified Israeli attacks that began with the pager explosions in Lebanon.

A US resident from Dearborn, Michigan, Kamel Ahmad Jawad, was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon, according to reports from the Reuters news agency.

The US State Department expressed being "deeply saddened" by his death, and tributes described Jawad as "one of the kindest and most generous humans."

He was in Lebanon to care for his elderly mother, as reported by the Detroit News.

Over 100 settlers stormed Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque this morning, marking the Jewish New Year.

The incursion in the Israeli occupied territory comes amid heightened tensions due to Israel's ongoing military onslaught in Lebanon and Gaza. The settlers' entry, under Israeli police protection, adds to the already volatile situation in the area, where such visits are viewed as provocative.

Eight Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat with Hezbollah in south Lebanon, the Israeli military said in a statement on Wednesday. Three of those killed are commanders, and seven other soldiers are critically wounded. 

Hezbollah clashed with Israeli troops infiltrating the southern Lebanese border town of Maroun al-Ras, after earlier pushing back an attempted infiltration elsewhere.

The group destroyed three Israeli Merkava tanks with guided missiles as they approached near the town, it said in a statement.

In a separate statement it said that several Israeli troops were killed and wounded in combat in both Maroun al-Ras and Odaissah, where its fighters fought off an incursion by Israeli infantry soldiers in the morning, forcing them to retreat.

Sky News Arabia quoted an Israeli source as saying that 14 Israeli soldiers were killed in battle on Wednesday.

Read more: Hezbollah kills at least eight Israeli soldiers after south Lebanon infiltration attempt

The number of fatalities from Israeli air strikes on central Beirut has risen to six, according to reports from Al Jazeera.

Two victims died at the scene, while the others succumbed to their injuries in the hospital. Seven more people are still receiving treatment for their wounds

Good morning Middle East Eye readers, 

It is now just after 8.30am in Palestine, Israel and Lebanon. A lot has happened since last night, so here's a recap of how events played out in case you missed it:

• Israeli airstrikes hit central Beirut for only the second time since the conflict began, with Lebanon’s Health Ministry confirming at least five fatalities and several injured
• Earlier reports from the ministry noted that Israeli bombings across Lebanon over the previous 24 hours had resulted in 45 deaths and 85 injuries
• In southern Lebanon, at least eight Israeli soldiers were killed in close combat with Hezbollah forces. Meanwhile, Hezbollah reported launching over 100 rockets into northern Israel on Wednesday
• Additionally, Israel has barred UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering the country. In the occupied West Bank, Israeli forces imposed a curfew on Hebron and arrested several young Palestinians
• Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian stated that Tehran is not seeking war but peace, though he added that Israel is provoking a reaction.
• Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden announced that he does not support Israeli strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities in response to the recent missile attacks on Israel.