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
Netanyahu suggests Iran would be free ‘sooner than people think'
Benjamin Netanyahu has suggested Iran would be free “sooner than people think”.
In an address on Monday, the Israeli Prime Minister told Iranians their government was bringing them "closer to the abyss".
He said Iran and Israel would be at peace when Iran is "finally free", which would "come a lot sooner than people think".
Referring to Hezbollah's Hassan Nasrallah, killed on Saturday in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Netanyahu also said that "puppets" of the Iranian "regime" were eliminated every day.
Israel has ramped up attacks on militant targets in Lebanon against Hezbollah, the best armed of militant groups across the Middle East aligned with Iran.
Netanyahu tells Iranians nowhere in Middle East out of Israel’s reach
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Iranians on Monday that there was nowhere in the Middle East beyond Israel's reach, two days after Israel's military killed the leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Netanyahu, speaking in English in a 3-minute-long video released by his office in which he said he was addressing the Iranian people, blamed the Iranian government for plunging the Middle East "deeper into war" at the cost of its own people.
"There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country," Netanyahu said.
Biden calls for ceasefire amid reports Israel plans to move into Lebanon
US President Joe Biden called for a ceasefire on Monday when asked about reports that Israel is preparing for a limited ground invasion of Lebanon in its fight against Hezbollah militants.
Biden, asked if he was comfortable with Israel's plan, said, "I'm comfortable with them stopping."
Israeli defence minister Gallant says next phase of the war will begin soon
The next phase of the war along the southern border of Lebanon is set to begin shortly, Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said on Monday, as at least two US newspapers reported that special forces may have already made short incursions.
"The next stage in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon," Gallant told a meeting of local council heads in northern Israel, according to a statement from his office. He said the next phase would contribute to achieving the war aim of returning residents evacuated from the area to their homes.
Hezbollah claims attack using 'Nour Missile' for first time
Hezbollah on Monday said in a statement it had attacked Israel using a "Nour Missile", which sources familiar with Hezbollah say is a ballistic missile.
French foreign minister again urges Israel not to invade Lebanon
French Foreign Affairs Minister Jean-Noel Barrot again urged Israel on Monday not to undertake any ground invasion of Lebanon, adding France will step up its support for the Lebanese army.
"I (...) urge Israel to refrain from any ground incursion and to cease fire. I call on Hezbollah to do the same and to refrain from any action likely to lead to regional destabilisation," Barrot told reporters while visiting Lebanon.
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.
India’s Modi urges de-escalation as he speaks to Israel’s Netanyahu
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu about recent developments in West Asia and highlighted the need for de-escalation.
"It is crucial to prevent regional escalation and ensure the safe release of all hostages," Modi posted on X.
Israel's military killed the leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah on Saturday as it ramped up attacks on militant targets in Lebanon.
"India is committed to supporting efforts for an early restoration of peace and stability," Modi said on Monday
US to announce over £251 million in aid for Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank
The United States on Monday will announce nearly $336 million (£251 million) in additional humanitarian assistance for Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank, according to a US Agency for International Development statement seen by Reuters.
The funding, first reported by Reuters, will enable USAID’s partners to continue to provide humanitarian aid, including food assistance, healthcare, nutrition and other services, according to the statement.
The funding will also support emergency shelter assistance to displaced Gazans ahead of winter, the statement said.
“Over the last year, this conflict has cost the lives of innocent Palestinians and Israelis and has left Gaza and the West Bank in a state of humanitarian crisis and dire humanitarian need,” the statement said.
“The United States continues to call on all parties to agree to a ceasefire deal and an immediate release of hostages, and to allow for the immediate scale-up of humanitarian aid moving into and throughout Gaza.”
The war began last 7 October when Hamas gunmen stormed Israeli communities, killing around 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel‘s military has leveled swaths of the besieged Palestinian enclave, driving nearly all of its 2.3 million people from their homes, giving rise to deadly hunger and disease and killing more than 41,000 people, according to Palestinian health authorities.
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Pictured: Smoke rises above Lebanese town after shelling
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