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?
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Israel-Hezbollah conflict: Why is Lebanon being attacked and will there be a ceasefire?
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‘We have lost everything’: Britons fleeing Lebanon say family was wiped out by airstrike
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Israel warns Lebanese civilians not ot move vehicles during ‘intense’ fighting
The Israeli military has said that intense fighting with Hezbollah is taking place in southern Lebanon as he warned residents not to move vehicles in the region.
Spokesperson Avichay Adraee wrote in Arabic on X, formerly Twitter: “Urgent warning to the residents of South Lebanon ...
“Heavy fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah elements using the civilian environment and the population as human shields to launch attacks.
“For your personal safety, we ask you not to move vehicles from the northern region to the southern region of the Litani River. This warning is in effect until further notice.”
Here are some of the latest pictures from Lebanon
UKMTO receives report of incident of Yemen’s Hodeidah
The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) agency says it has received a report of an incident 97 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah, adding that the authorities are investigating.
Hezbollah says it targeted Israeli troops in Metula with artillery fire
Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah said in a statement on Tuesday that it had targeted Israeli troops across the border in Metula with artillery fire but made no mention of Israel’s announcement that it had begun a ground incursion into Lebanon.
Israel announced overnight that it had begun “limited” raids in the border area of southern Lebanon.
Netanyahu says 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, three days after Israel’s military killed the leader of Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Mr Netanyahu, speaking in English in a three-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,” Mr Netanyahu said.
He said the Iranian government was bringing Iranians “closer to the abyss”. Iran and Israel would be at peace when Iran is “finally free”, which he said would “come a lot sooner than people think”.
Referring to Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah, killed on Friday in Israeli airstrikes on Beirut, Mr Netanyahu 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 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.”
Suspected Yemen Houthi rebel attack targets ship in Red Sea
A suspected attack Tuesday by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea, likely marking their first assault on commercial shipping in weeks as the Israel-Hamas war threatens to become a regional conflict.
The attack comes as Israeli ground forces entered Lebanon after days of Israeli airstrikes that killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and other top leaders and the earlier explosions of sabotaged electronic devices used by the Shiite militia.
The Houthis had threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel on Monday after they apparently shot down a US military drone flying over the country.
The attack Tuesday morning took place some 110km off the port city of Hodeida in the Red Sea, which has become a battlefield for shippers since the Houthis began their campaign targeting ships traveling through a waterway that once saw $1 trillion a year of cargo pass through it.
A captain on a ship saw four “splashes” near his vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said in a warning.
That likely would have been missiles or drones launched at the vessel.“All crew are safe and the vessel is proceeding to (its) next port of call,” the UKMTO said.The Houthis did not immediately claim the attack.
Uk government charters flight for Britons in Lebanon
The UK government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave as Israel said it had begun a limited, localised” operation in the southern part of the country.
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, Mr Lammy reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave and said the government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
Hours after Mr Lammy’s announcement, the Israeli military said it had begun a “limited, localised” operation against its Hezbollah targets in the region.
Report:
UK Government charters flight out of Lebanon for Britons
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as ‘volatile’ and with the ‘potential to deteriorate quickly’.
In Pictures: Israeli troops deploy to staging area along Lebanon border
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