Israel-Lebanon latest: Fierce fighting as Israeli troops begin invasion and Hezbollah missiles target Tel Aviv
Israel says a ‘limited, localised and targeted’ ground operation has started in Lebanon, including ‘intense’ fighting along the border
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Israel is engaged in “intense fighting” with Hezbollah inside southern Lebanon after sending troops across the border as part of a major assault, the military have said.
Israel announced overnight that it had launched “targeted” raids on Hezbollah positions on the border with southern Lebanon, controlled by Hezbollah.
A lieutenant commanding Israel’s Egoz unit reportedly told troops before going in that their operation was part of a “more substantial invasion” intended to halt Hezbollah’s ability to attack the northern territories across the border.
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Makati said today this is “one of the most dangerous phases” in the country’s history.
"We urgently call for more aid to reinforce our ongoing efforts to provide basic support to displaced civilians," he said at a UN meeting hours after the Israeli incursion.
It comes as Hezbollah missiles targeted the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency and the Glilot military base in the suburbs of Tel Aviv.
Hezbollah used its new missile, the Fadi 4, in the attack. It is unclear whether the strikes landed any damage or whether any casualties were reported.
Mapped: Where has Israel fired missiles around the Middle East?
Israel kills Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah in strike marking major escalation in conflict
Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Why is Lebanon being attacked and will there be a ceasefire?
The killing of Hezbollah’s leader will make Israel no safer
‘We have lost everything’: Britons fleeing Lebanon say family was wiped out by airstrike
UK's Lammy says Israel must avoid getting 'bogged down' in Lebanon
British foreign secretary David Lammy has said nobody wants a return to the past with Israel fighting in southern Lebanon over a long period, adding the price of a regional Middle Eastern war would be “huge”.
“None of us want to return to the years in which Israel found itself bogged down in a quagmire in southern Lebanon,” Lammy told broadcasters.
“None of us want to see a regional war. The price would be huge for the Middle East and it would have a significant effect on the global economy.”
Watch: Israel troops prepare for targeted ground operation in Lebanon
Watch: Israel troops prepare for targeted ground operation in Lebanon
Watch as Israeli troops prepare for a targeted ground operation in Lebanon. Israel announced overnight on Monday (30 September) that it had launched “targeted” raids on Hezbollah positions on the border with southern Lebanon, controlled by Hezbollah. A lieutenant commanding Israel’s Egoz unit reportedly told troops before going in that their operation was part of a “more substantial invasion” intended to halt Hezbollah’s ability to attack the northern territories across the border. Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Makati said today (1 October) that this is “one of the most dangerous phases” in the country’s history.
Spain urges Israel to halt its ground raids in Lebanon
Israel should cease conducting ground raids in southern Lebanon to avoid an escalation of the conflict enveloping the wider region, Spanish foreign minister Jose Manuel Albares has told reporters.
“We insist that the ground incursion should be halted, as we’re receiving very worrying information,” Albares said, adding that it was “necessary to reach a truce in Lebanon and a ceasefire in Gaza”.
UNRWA: more than 10,000 in Gaza Strip need medical evacuation
More than 10,000 people in the Gaza Strip still need medical evacuation while more than 41,000 people have been killed in last 12 months of war, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East spokesperson Louise Wateridge told a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
Here are some of the latest photos from Lebanon
Hezbollah media boss: Israel has not invaded yet
The head of Hezbollah’s media office, Mohammad Afif, has claimed that no Israeli troops have entered Lebanese territory.
He added that the militant group’s strikes on targets in Tel Aviv were “only the beginning”.
In a written statement provided to Reuters, Afif, said there had been no “direct ground clashes” yet with Israeli troops.
Israeli security official says raids went only short distance into Lebanon
The raids by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon that began overnight were limited and went only a short distance over the border, a security official said on Tuesday, adding that no direct clashes with Hezbollah fighters were reported.
The official said a wider operation targeting the Lebanese capital Beirut, which has been hit by repeated airstrikes in recent days, was “not on the table”.
Israeli defence minister briefs US defense secretary on Lebanon raids
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant has briefed US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Israel‘s raids into Lebanon, Gallant’s office said.
“The Minister discussed the localized and targeted raids that the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) launched overnight, against Hezbollah terror targets in the border area of southern Lebanon,” it said.
“These ground operations build on the recent and ongoing measures taken to eliminate senior Hezbollah leadership and to degrade Hezbollah’s offensive capabilities.”
Israeli bombardment kills at least 21 in Gaza as fighting rages
Israeli airstrikes killed at least 21 people in Gaza on Tuesday, local medics said and fighting ramped up, as the Israeli military said it had been targeting command centres used by its Islamist militant foe Hamas.
Palestinian health officials said at least 13 people, including women and children, were killed in two Israeli strikes on two houses in Nuseirat, one of the enclave’s eight historic refugee camps.
There has been no immediate comment by the Israeli army on the two strikes.
Another strike on a school sheltering displaced Palestinian families in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City killed at least seven people, medics added.
The Israeli military said in a statement the air strike targeted Hamas militants operating from a command centre embedded in a compound that had previously served as Al-Shejaia School.
It accused Hamas of using the civilian population and facilities for military purposes, which Hamas denies.
Breaking: Hezbollah targets Mossad HQ in Tel Aviv
Hezbollah says it has used missiles to target the headquarters of Israel’s Mossad intelligence agency, according to Reuters news agency.
The missiles also targeted the Glilot military base, where the army intelligence unit is stationed in the suburbs of Tel Aviv. It is unclear whether the strikes have caused any damage.
The Lebanese militant group says it used its new missile - Fadi 4 - in the attack.
According to Al-Jazeera, the missiles are named after Fadi Hassan Tawil, a militant killed in action in 1987 and the brother of Hezbollah commander Wissam al-Tawil.
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