Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel ‘launches cross-border raids’ as US official says ground invasion may be imminent
Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant warns next phase of war against Hezbollah along southern border of Lebanon ‘will begin soon’
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Israel has launched cross-border raids in Lebanon as a ground invasion may be imminent, according to officials.
Israel is conducting small, precision raids across the border in Lebanon and a larger ground operation is being planned, a US official and a Western official told The Associated Press on Monday.
The United States has observed positioning of Israeli troops that suggests that a ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent, a US official said to Reuters.
The Independent has been unable to independently verify the reports.
It comes as Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday that the next phase of the war against Hezbollah along the southern border of Lebanon “will begin soon”.
Earlier, hinting at a ground invasion, he was quoted by Israeli media as telling armoured corps troops near the Lebanon border on Monday: “To return the residents of the north safely to their homes we will activate all our capabilities – including you.”
It comes as the deputy leader of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, vowed to be ready for an Israeli invasion in his first speech given since Israel killed the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah over the weekend.
Israel intensified its airstrikes on Monday, hitting central Beirut for the first time since 2006, while also killing Hamas’s leader in Lebanon in the southern city of Tyre.
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Who was Hassan Nasrallah? Hezbollah leader of Lebanese militant group killed in Israeli strike
Air France temporarily suspends flights to Beirut and Tel Aviv
Air France is suspending flights between Paris and Tel Aviv, and between Paris and Beirut, until 8 October due to concerns over the regional security situation, said the airline on Monday.
Israel launches cross-border raids in Lebanon with larger operation planned, officials say
Israel has launched small, precision raids across the border in Lebanon and a larger ground operation is being planned, according to two officials, the Associated Press has reported.
It was not clear if Israel had made a final decision on a broader operation. The Israeli military did not comment.
The US official and the Western official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation.
UNRWA chief denies knowledge that suspended employee was Hamas leader in Lebanon
The UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) chief on Monday denied knowing that its employee Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was a Hamas commander in Lebanon and called on states to push back against Israeli attacks on the agency.
The head of Hamas’ Lebanon branch, Abu el-Amin was killed along with family members in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the group said on Monday. He was suspended from his job at UNRWA in March following allegations concerning his politics, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.
“I never heard the word commander before,” he said. “What’s obvious for you today, was not obvious yesterday.”
Lazzarini, who briefed press after meeting with U.N. member states earlier on Monday, said he asked them to “push back on all the reputation attack on the agency and the ongoing drafting of bills which could be adopted in Jerusalem.”
He was referring to a move by Israeli parliament to declare the organisation a “terrorist body” which has already received preliminary approval. Such a move would be “absolutely unconscionable”, he added.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has for years called for UNRWA to be dismantled, accusing it of anti-Israeli incitement.
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) was established in 1949 and provides relief to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, including in Lebanon where it says up to 250,000 reside.
Lazzarini said it was using existing shelters for Palestinian refugees to house some of the 1 million people displaced within Lebanon following two weeks of intensive Israeli strikes against Hezbollah.
Israeli troops may be positioned for imminent Lebanon ground incursion, US official says
The United States has observed positioning of Israeli troops that suggests that a ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent, a US official told Reuters on Monday.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, declined to offer further details on the posture of Israeli forces and declined further comment.
Israeli military says it destroyed missile warehouse located about 1.5 km from Lebanon's international airport
The Israeli military said on Monday that it destroyed a warehouse of surface-to-air missiles located about 1.5 km from Lebanon’s international airport.
US to send ‘few thousand’ more troops to Middle East if Israel needs defending, says Pentagon
The US will send a “few thousand” additional troops to the Middle East to boost security and defend Israel if needed, the Pentagon has said.
US and Israel still talking about best way forward, Pentagon says
The United States and Israel are still in discussions “about the best way forward,” the Pentagon said on Monday, as it referred reporters to Israel for questions about whether it was planning a ground offensive in Lebanon.
“We’re continuing to engage with them, trying to learn more. We continue discussions on the best way forward,” Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told a news briefing.
Singh also said Israel gave US notice but did not coordinate its Sunday strikes in Yemen with the United States.
Yemen's Houthis say they will escalate military operations in response to Israeli attacks
Yemen's Houthis said on Monday that they will escalate military operations against Israel in response to its attacks on the country, a day after an Israeli attack against Houthi targets, which the Yemeni group's spokesperson said left five killed and 57 injured.
Israel to launch limited Lebanon ground offensive ‘as soon as today’, says US official
Israel is set to launch a limited ground offensive in Lebanon as soon as today, a US official is reported to have confirmed.
The BBC reports Israel has told the US that it intends to launch the ground incursion, with the official saying the operation could begin on Monday – although The Independent has not independently verified the report.
Germany announces evacuations from Lebanon
Germany has evacuated non-essential staff, families of embassy workers and German nationals who are medically vulnerable out of Lebanon and will support others trying to leave, a joint statement by the foreign and defence ministries said on Monday.
The German foreign ministry raised its crisis level for missions in Beirut, Ramallah and Tel Aviv again at the weekend, though the embassies there remain operational.
There are currently 1,800 registered German citizens in Lebanon, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry said on Monday.
A source told Reuters that 110 people would be evacuated on Monday in a flight taking off from Beirut.
“The embassy continues to support the remaining Germans in Lebanon in their efforts to leave the country via commercial flights and other means. The Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defense continue to coordinate very closely on this,” the statement said.
Israel has hit Lebanon with a two-week wave of attacks, eliminating Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah and several commanders but also killing around 1,000 Lebanese and forcing 1 million to flee their homes. Hezbollah has pledged to confront any Israeli ground invasion of Lebanon.
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