Israel-Lebanon latest: UK charters flight to get Brits out as Israel begins ground invasion against Hezbollah
Israel says a ‘limited, localised and targeted’ ground operation has started in Lebanon
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The UK has chartered an emergency flight out of Lebanon for Britons caught up in the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel as tanks roll into the southern half of the country.
Around 5,000 Britons remain in Lebanon and the government said it is working on “all contingency options” to get them out.
UK foreign secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly”.
Israel’s military says it has begun a “targeted” ground operation in southern Lebanon, with its troops conducting raids on Hezbollah targets and infrastructure along the border.
Ground forces were being supported by the air force and artillery carrying out “precise strikes”, the Israeli military said in a statement.
Local residents in the Lebanese border town of Aita al-Shaab reported heavy shelling and sound of helicopters and drones overhead.
Israel described its offensive as “limited, localised, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence” against Hezbollah targets that posed “an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel”.
The ground invasion of Lebanon represents a significant escalation of the conflict in a Middle East that threatens to suck in the US and Iran.
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UK government charters flight out of Lebanon for Britons
The UK Government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid fears of a wider conflict.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly” as the flight, due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, was confirmed.
Earlier on Monday night, Mr Lammy had reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave as he said the Government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the flight, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised.
Mr Lammy chaired a ministerial meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Monday to discuss the crisis.
There are an estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon and the Government says it is working on “all contingency options”.
British military assets have been deployed to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean in case an evacuation is required, although ministers and officials have stressed that Britons should leave immediately.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer has been “very, very clear” that British nationals “should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available”.
It is understood around 15 spaces for British nationals were secured on a flight which arrived on Sunday, and a further 40 on the flight due to leave on Tuesday.
The spokesman said the focus is on “securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights”.
Israeli military orders evacuations in Beirut as airstrikes hit southern suburbs
The Israeli military has issued evacuation orders in Beirut as a security source said Israeli strikes hit the Lebanese capital’s southern suburbs overnight.
At least six Israeli strikes hit the south of Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Monday, with a Reuters reporter seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud blast about an hour after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate areas near buildings it said contained Hezbollah infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.
Huge blasts heard in Lebanese capital as Israeli strikes pound suburbs, say Reuters witnesses
Huge consecutive blasts were heard across the Lebanese capital just after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military carried out strikes on the city's southern suburbs.
A massive smoke cloud could be seen in a Reuters live broadcast.
Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troop movements near Lebanese border towns
Hezbollah has targeted Israeli troop movements across from Lebanese border towns, the group has said in a statement issued early on Tuesday.
Israeli strike hits Beirut’s southern suburbs, security source says
At least two Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs late on Monday, a security source said, with Reuters reporters seeing two flashes of light and hearing loud blasts coming from the neighbourhood.
The Israeli military had warned an hour earlier that it would strike specific buildings in the typically densely populated southern suburbs, saying armed group Hezbollah was using them as facilities and telling residents to leave.
Many residents had fled the area in recent days after a spike in Israeli strikes, but ended up sleeping in the streets of the city as shelters were full.
Families had told Reuters they had struggled to find taxis to get them out of the district fast enough.
Fears of a ground invasion have spiked on Monday, with Lebanese troops pulling back from the border with Israel and a U.S. official saying Israeli soldiers looked set to enter Lebanon.
Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in the Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Netanyahu warns Iran: ‘Nowhere in the Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tonight (30 September) warned Iran there is “nowhere Israel cannot reach”. In a video released on Monday, Netanyahu addressed the people of Iran warning that there is “nowhere it wouldn’t go to protect its people.” Speaking from Jerusalem, the Israeli Prime Minister referenced the recent killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, and warned the Iranian people the regime didn’t care “a whit about them.” Netanyahu warned: “Iran’s tyrants don’t care about your future.”
Israeli military warns Beirut suburbs to evacuate before strikes on Hezbollah targets
Israel’s military issued an urgent warning late on Monday for residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate due to planned strikes on Hezbollah targets.
Iran is 'at our side', Hezbollah lawmaker says
Hezbollah has not asked for any help from Iran as “they are at our side”, the Lebanese group’s lawmaker Hassan Fadlallah told local broadcaster Al Jadeed on Monday.
US State Department reiterates calls for Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire to reach ‘diplomatic resolution’
The US State Department has reiterated calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in order for a “diplomatic resolution” to be reached.
John Kirby, spokesman for the US State Department, also said on Monday that Israel “has a right to defend itself”.
He said: “I think sometimes people either misinterpret or have their own version of what a ceasefire is. A ceasefire is not one side in a conflict unilaterally putting down its arms and stopping the conflict. It is an agreement for both sides to stop the conflict.
“And in this case, what we have proposed is a 21-day ceasefire where both sides would stop attacking the other and we would reach a diplomatic resolution. We are going to continue to engage with our Israeli counterparts, with Lebanese counterparts, with other countries around the world to reach that objective.”
He added: “If you look at what the acting leader of Hezbollah said just today, it's that their attacks on Israel will continue. So Israel has a right to defend itself against those attacks, so that includes in targeting terrorist infrastructure inside Lebanon.”
In pictures: Israeli tanks and armoured vehicles at Lebanese border
These pictures show the meeting of tanks and armoured vehicles at Upper Galilee, on the Lebanese border, this evening. It comes amid fears from Western officials that an invsaion is imminent.
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