Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani gives a joint press conference with Iran's President, in Doha on October 2, 2024. Photo | AFP
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'Brutal attacks': Qatar's Emir pledges support for Lebanon amid Israeli ground invasion

Israel has shifted the focus of its operation from Gaza to Lebanon, where heavy bombing has forced hundreds of thousands to flee.

Agencies

Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, expressed his "full support" for Lebanon Thursday and said he ordered that emergency aid be provided in the face of Israel's offensive against Hezbollah.

"I affirm the State of Qatar's full support for Lebanon and its brotherly people against the brutal attacks they are being subjected to," the emir said on social media platform X.

"I have directed rapid action and the provision of all necessary resources to provide humanitarian and relief support to all displaced persons and those affected by this aggression."

Israel has shifted the focus of its operation from Gaza to Lebanon, where heavy bombing has forced hundreds of thousands to flee. The bombing has killed more than 1,000 people, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

"The failure of the international community to stop the war on Gaza was a green light to expand the conflict," Sheikh Tamim said.

The Emir's statement comes as Israel issued extended evacuation warnings in South Lebanon on Thursday, signalling a wider offensive as part of its ground invasion, which it claims to be a "limited, localised and targeted" operation against Hezbollah.

Israel says it is targeting Hezbollah after nearly a year of rocket attacks that began on October 8 and displaced some 60,000 Israelis from communities in the north. Israel has carried out retaliatory strikes over the past year that have displaced tens of thousands on the Lebanese side.

In recent weeks, Israeli strikes in Lebanon have killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and several of his top commanders.

The vast majority of recent strikes have been in areas where Hezbollah has a strong presence, including Beirut's southern suburbs known as Dahiyeh.

But Israel has also carried out strikes in Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, and a strike in central Beirut earlier this week killed three members of a leftist Palestinian militant group.

(With inputs from AFP and AP)

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