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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
World
Jonathan Yerushalmy (now); Joanna Walters, Yohannes Lowe and Martin Belam (earlier)

US defence secretary tells Israeli counterpart Iran attack an ‘outrageous act of aggression’ – as it happened

United Nations Lebanon IDF Hezbollah Israel Beirut United States Refugee Pentagon Terrorist

Closing summary

This live blog is closing shortly, but our live coverage of the events in the Middle East will continue here.

Here’s a summary of where things stand as the region wakes up:

  • Israel launched strikes across Beirut’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Wednesday, with the Israeli military issuing multiple evacuation orders for buildings in Beirut, saying it was targeting Hezbollah sites.

  • The strikes came hours after Iran launched a barrage of ballistic missiles at targets across Israel, in a dramatic intensification of a conflict that some fear could escalate into a regional war. Benjamin Netanyahu told a meeting of his security cabinet that “Iran made a big mistake tonight – and it will pay for it.”

  • The Israeli military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, spoke on television reacting to what the country called the “serious attack” on Israel by Iran today. Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), pledged that the attack “will have consequences”. He added that the country remained on high alert.

  • There continues to be very little information about how much damage Iran’s missile attack on Israel caused. In its attack on Tuesday, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles, Israel’s government said. No injuries were reported in Israel, but one man was killed in the occupied West Bank, authorities there said. Images show missiles fallen in Ramallah, in the West Bank.

  • Late on Tuesday, Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, said Iran’s action was “concluded unless Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation”. In a statement on X, he said: “Israel’s enablers now have a heightened responsibility to rein in the warmongers in Tel Aviv instead of getting involved in their folly.”

  • Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, gave the order to launch missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that Tehran “is fully ready for any retaliation”. Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations has defended the country’s missile launches against Israel today, calling it a response to “terrorist acts” by Israel.

  • US destroyers in the eastern Mediterranean Sea took down multiple missiles launched by Iran, US defence officials said. The UK defence secretary, John Healey, said that British forces “played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East”.

  • Six people were killed and 10 wounded in a shooting and knife attack on the Israeli seaside city of Jaffa that occurred minutes before Iran launched its attack. Five of the wounded were described as being in a serious condition. CCTV footage showed two men, reportedly armed with an assault rifle and a knife, dressed in black emerging from a train near the light-rail stop along Jerusalem Boulevard where they opened fire on passersby as well as on a second nearby street.

US defence secretary tells Israeli counterpart Iran attack an 'outrageous act of aggression'

The US defence secretary, Lloyd Austin, has said he spoke with the Israeli minister of defence, Yoav Gallant, telling him that the attack from Iran was an “outrageous act of aggression”.

The Minister and I expressed mutual appreciation for the coordinated defense of Israel against nearly 200 ballistic missiles launched by Iran and committed to remain in close contact.

It’s 6.30am in Beirut. Live footage being broadcast by Reuters shows smoke continuing to hang over the Lebanese capital.

Overnight Israel launched at least five strikes on the city’s southern suburbs, with reports of fires breaking out in several locations.

It’s currently unclear if there were any casualties as a result of Wednesday morning’s attack, but according to the Lebanese health ministry, at least 55 people were killed across the country on Tuesday.

IDF solider injured in Jaffa shooting on Tuesday

The IDF has announced that a soldier was seriously injured in Tuesday’s shooting and knife attack on the Israeli city of Jaffa.

The wounded soldier was evacuated to receive medical treatment at a hospital and her family was informed.

Six people were killed and 10 wounded in the attack on the Israeli seaside city of Jaffa that occurred minutes before Iran launched its huge missile attack. Five of the wounded were described as being in a serious condition. It was unclear whether the Israeli soldier was among the numbers.

Air raid alerts in northern Israel

Air defence alerts have been activated in Misgav Am, a town in Israel’s north that sits right on the border with Lebanon.

Flydubai said it has cancelled flights to Jordan, Iraq, Israel and Iran on 2-3 October.

In a statement to Reuters, the airline said the cancellations were due to the temporary closure of a number of airspaces.

Japan’s new prime minister Shigeru Ishiba has called the missile attacks by Iran on Israel “unacceptable”.

Iran’s attack is unacceptable. We will condemn this strongly. But at the same time, we would like to cooperate to defuse the situation and prevent it from escalating into a full-on war.”

As we just reported, the scale of the damage on Israel after Iran’s ballistic missile attack remains unclear.

No injuries have been reported in Israel, but one person was killed in the occupied West Bank, authorities there said.

There are however multiple images of craters in central and southern Israel. PBS foreign affairs and defense correspondent, Nick Schifrin posted this report from close to the Mossad headquarters on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, showing a large crater.

How much damage did Iran's missile attack on Israel cause?

There continues to be very little information about how much damage Iran’s missile attack on Israel caused.

In its attack on Tuesday, Iran fired more than 180 ballistic missiles, Israel’s government said. Some of the missile fired by Iran were hypersonic Fattah missiles, with a maximum speed estimated at 10,000mph.

According to the Revolutionary Guards, 90% of its missiles successfully hit their targets. Israel however says most missiles were intercepted by its air defence and that statement appears to be backed up by comments from the UK and US who played a role in Israel’s defence.

Images from central Israel show officials inspecting an impact crater.

No injuries were reported in Israel, but one man was killed in the occupied West Bank, authorities there said. Images show missiles fallen in Ramallah, in the West Bank.

The IDF’s Daniel Hagari said there were “a small number” of hits. The Israeli military published video of a school in the central city of Gadera that was heavily damaged by an Iranian missile.

In Hebron in the West Bank, a fallen projectile was moved to the centre of a square where people posed for pictures with it.

The forces of restraint in the Middle East are weakening with every passing day. Politically speaking, the Biden administration cannot be seen as tying Israel’s hands in the face of an Iranian attack on Israeli cities. The Iranian regime (the IRGC in particular) is feeling the pressure to show its regional proxies and allies, from Hezbollah to the Houthis in Yemen, that it is not a weakling but a regional power of substance, the leader of the “axis of resistance”.

Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has a freer hand. With Iranian missiles over Tel Aviv, it is far harder for Washington to try to influence his actions, and much tougher for the prime minister’s opponents to call for his ousting.

Today, Netanyahu is also significantly closer to his longstanding ambition: to involve the US in a war on Iran which will destroy its nuclear programme, now close to the capacity to make a weapon after the collapse of the 2015 multilateral agreement, the JCPOA, which kept the programme within limits.

In such dangerous times, the region has historically looked to Washington to contain and reverse the logic of escalation. But the man currently inhabiting the Oval Office is a lame duck president who has been ignored to the point of humiliation in recent months by the US’s closest ally in the Middle East.

There have long been voices in the US defence establishment calling for the US to act preemptively against the Iranian nuclear programme. Those will now increase in an effort to influence a president who has vowed to defend Israel against the Iranian threat.

Biden’s administration has generally been cautious when it comes to military ventures abroad, and Kamala Harris is expected to follow a similar path, with less of a sentimental attachment to Israel. But the escalating violence in the Middle East will damage her chances of succeeding Biden in the White House, and bring closer the prospect of the return of the greatest wild card of all, Donald Trump.

In the United States, vice-presidential candidates Tim Walz and JD Vance are facing off in the first VP debate of this election. The first question was about the current issues in the Middle East; both candidates were asked whether they would support or oppose a pre-emptive strike by Israel on Iran.

Walz said Israel’s ability to defend itself is “absolutely fundamental” and said “steady leadership” is fundamental. Walz noted that Trump’s former chief of staff, John Kelly, said the president was “the most flawed human being he’d ever met” and that Trump’s secretaries of defence and his national security advisers “said he should be nowhere near the White House”.

For his part, Vance said Donald Trump “consistently made the world more secure” and that Trump, as president, recognised that “you needed peace through strength”.

Vance said that it is up to Israel to do what they need to do to keep their country safe, adding “we should support our allies wherever they are when they’re fighting the bad guys.”

You can follow the debate live here.

Emmanuel Macron calls on Israel to end operation in Lebanon 'as soon as possible'

Emmanuel Macron has condemned Iran’s attack on Israel and said France mobilised its “military resources in the Middle East to counter the Iranian threat.”

France’s president also called on Israel to end its military operations in Lebanon “as soon as possible.”

In a statement from the Élysée Palace, Macron said too many civilians were already victims and that “Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” should be restored.

The Head of State also reiterated France’s demand that Hezbollah cease its terrorist actions against Israel and its population.”

The Élysée said France would soon organise a conference in “support of the Lebanese people and their institutions.”

Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, will lead the Friday prayer in Tehran this week and deliver a sermon that is expected to set the tone for Iran’s strategy against Israel, New York Times journalist Farnaz Fassihi has reported.

Fassihi notes that Khamenei only does this “under extraordinary circumstances”.

Crude futures rose 1.56% on fears of oil supply disruptions in the Middle East. Brent gained 2.6%.

Iran, a member of the organization of the petroleum exporting countries (Opec), is a major oil producer in the region.

“The direct involvement of Iran, an OPEC member, raises the prospect of disruptions to oil supplies,” ANZ Research said in a note, referring to the conflict.

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut early on Wednesday

At least five Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs in the early hours of Wednesday, a Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency.

The Israeli military has issued multiple evacuation orders for buildings in the city, saying it is targeting Hezbollah sites. In the last few minutes it issue a new evacuation order for a building in the Hadath al-Gharb neighbourhood.

Reuters and AFP correspondents reported multiple explosions and smoke rising in at least one area while a fire appeared to burn.

Israel has repeatedly bombarded Beirut’s southern suburbs since last week.

Lebanon said on Tuesday that almost 240,000 people, mostly Syrians, have crossed to Syria since Israel began hitting the country last week with intense air strikes.

Lebanese authorities registered “the crossing of 176,080 Syrian citizens and 63,373 Lebanese citizens into Syrian territory” from 23 September, a report from the country’s disaster management unit said.

Iran’s missile attack on Israel was “totally unacceptable” and should be condemned by the entire world, US secretary of state Antony Blinken has said.

“Initial reports suggest that Israel, with the active support of the United States and other partners, effectively defeated this attack,” Blinken told reporters.

S&P Global has downgraded Israel’s long-term ratings to “A” from “A+”, citing risks to the country’s economy and public finances from the escalating conflict with Hezbollah in Lebanon.

The rating agency highlighted concerns over potential security threats, including retaliatory rocket attacks against Israel, which could worsen the economic impact.

We now consider that military activity in Gaza and an upsurge in fighting across Israel‘s northern border - including a ground incursion into Lebanon - could persist into 2025, with risks of retaliation against Israel.”

It comes after fellow ratings agency Moody’s cut the country’s credit rating two notches to “Baa1” last week and warned of a drop to ‘junk’ if the current heightened tensions with Hezbollah turned into a full-scale conflict.

The Israeli military has issued more warnings to residents in Beirut – this time aimed at the Shiyah and Hadath Gharb neighbourhoods.

An IDF spokesperson said residents in a specific building should evacuate.

The IDF has now urged evacuations at five locations, including Hadath Beirut, Haret Hreik and Choueifat Al-Omrousieh.

The Israeli military continues to attack Beirut, with media reporting fires at several locations.

Reuters journalist, Timour Azhari, posted the below image of strikes on Beirut just a few minutes ago,

Updated

As the Israeli military continues to attack Beirut, the Lebanese health ministry has issued a new updated on the number of casualties across the country on Tuesday.

Fifty-five people were killed and 156 wounded in Israeli attacks across Lebanon on Tuesday, the health ministry said in a statement.

Nearly 1,900 people have been killed and more than 9,000 wounded in Lebanon in almost a year of cross-border fighting, most in the past two weeks, according to Lebanese government statistics.

IDF issues third evacuation warning in Beirut's south

The Israeli military has issued another warning to residents in Beirut’s southern suburbs – the third such warning in the last hour.

An IDF spokesperson said residents in a specific building in the Hadath Beirut neighbourhood should evacuate.

You are located near Hezbollah facilities and interests, against which the IDF will operate in the near future. For your safety and the safety of your family members, you must evacuate this building and the surrounding buildings immediately and stay away from them for a distance of no less than 500 meters.”

The IDF has said it is currently attack Beirut. Previously it issued warnings for the Haret Hreik and Choueifat Al-Omrousieh neighbourhoods.

Defence secretary Lloyd Austin has said the US is determined “to defend Israel from Iranian aggression.”

In a statement online, Austin said he had spoken with French defence minister Sébastien Lecornu “to continue the close coordination between our countries on the evolving situation in the Middle East.”

The United States remains committed to pushing for a diplomatic solution, avoiding further expansion of the conflict, and to protecting our personnel and facilities in the region.”

Iran’s foreign minister has reportedly held calls with the foreign ministers of the UK, Germany, France and a number of other countries.

Abas Aslani, senior research fellow at the center for Middle East strategic studies said that Seyed Abbas Araghchi told his counterparts that “after two months of restraint, Iran targeted only military and security sites” in Israel.

IDF issues new warning for Beirut

The Israeli military has issued another warning to residents in the southern suburbs of Beirut. An IDF spokesperson warned residents of a building in the Choueifat Al-Omrousieh neighbourhood to evacuate.

It comes soon after the military issued a call for residents in buildings in Haret Hreik to evacuate.

Iran’s president has issued a statement on this evening’s attack on Israel.

Masoud Pezeshkian warned Israel not to enter into a conflict with Iran and described the attack as “only a corner of our power”.

This action was in defense of the interests and citizens of Iran. Let Netanyahu know that Iran is not a belligerent, but it stands firmly against any threat.”

IDF confirms it is 'attacking' targets in Beirut

Israel’s military has said it is “attacking terrorist targets in Beirut”.

A Lebanese security source told the AFP news agency that Israeli strikes were hitting the city’s southern suburbs, after the Israeli military issued a new call for residents of parts of the area to evacuate.

AFP correspondents heard the sound of an explosion from the area, which Israel has struck repeatedly since last week.

Blasts heard in Beirut's south

Reuters is reporting that explosions are being heard in Beirut’s southern suburbs. Arabic media is also reporting strikes in the city’s south.

Earlier, the IDF warned residents in the Haret Hreik neighbourhood to evacuate, saying the Israeli military would shortly “act forcefully” in the area.

Israel eases restrictions on gatherings in much of country

Israel’s home front command says it has eased restrictions on large gatherings in much of Israel, including Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

Earlier, authorities issued directives limiting gatherings to limits of 30 people in an open area and up to 300 people in closed spaces.

Offices and educational spaces could only be held in places near protected areas in case of an alert.

IDF urges evacuations from buildings in Beirut's south

IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee has urged residents in buildings in Beirut’s southern suburbs, “specifically in the Haret Hreik neighborhood” to evacuate.

Urgent warning to the residents of the southern suburb, specifically in the Haret Hreik neighborhood, in the buildings specified in the two maps and the buildings adjacent to them. You are located near dangerous Hezbollah installations that the IDF will act forcefully against in the near future.”

British forces involved in Middle East operation, says UK defence secretary

UK defence secretary John Healey has said the British forces “played their part in attempts to prevent further escalation in the Middle East” this evening.

In a statement on X, Healey condemned Iran’s attack on Israel and said the UK stood “fully behind Israel’s right to defend its country and its people against threats.”

I want to thank all British personnel involved in the operation for their courage and professionalism.”

'Our action is concluded' – Iranian foreign minister

Seyed Abbas Araghchi, Iran’s foreign minister, put out a statement via X in the last hour that the country’s latest military action against Israel, a barrage of missiles fired at the state, is over.

“Our action is concluded unless Israeli regime decides to invite further retaliation. In that scenario, our response will be stronger and more powerful,” he posted.

It appeared to be an attempt to draw a line under the military offensive today, which Iran said was in retaliation for Israel’s recent attacks on its proxies around Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah, which killed leaders of each organization.

There is also a plea for Israel’s allies to put pressure on the Jewish state to deescalate in the region.

“Israel’s enablers now have a heightened responsibility to rein in the warmongers in Tel Aviv instead of getting involved in their folly,” he posted.

Updated

Iran military threatens 'crushing attack' if Israel fires back

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards threatened Tuesday to carry out “crushing attacks” against Israel if it retaliated for an Iranian missile attack.

If the Zionist regime reacts to Iranian operations, it will face crushing attacks,” the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement carried by the Fars news agency, AFP reports.

The IRGC said Iran’s missile attack on Israel earlier in the day was “in accordance with the United Nations Charter”.

It said the missile attack came “after a period of restraint” following an “attack on the sovereignty” of Iran – a reference to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July.

The IRGC said the missile attacks targeted “three military bases” around Tel Aviv as well as air and radar bases, adding that “90 percent” of the missiles “hit their targets”.

There are few externally verified details on the full impact of Iran’s unleashing almost 200 missiles on Israel earlier, most of which appeared to have been intercepted, with Israel reporting “no injuries”.

Updated

Iran made 'big mistake' with missile attack – Netanyahu

Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has now spoken out on the missile attack on Israel by Iran a little earlier on Tuesday.

Iran made a big mistake tonight and will pay for it. Whoever attacks us, we attack them,” he said, as he gathered his security cabinet for a meeting late Tuesday.

The Israeli military says it has received no reports of injuries from the Iranian missile attack.

The military’s spokesperson, Rear Adm Daniel Hagari, said the country’s air defenses intercepted many of the incoming missiles, though some landed in central and southern Israel.

This strike will have consequences,” he said.

He urged the public to continue to listen to public-safety guidelines from the army.

Updated

Harris echoes Biden support for US assistance to Israel

Kamala Harris, the US vice-president and Democratic nominee for president in this November’s election, rather unexpectedly popped up in Washington DC moments ago to say that she “fully supports” Joe Biden’s order to the US military earlier to take part in the shooting down of Iran’s missile attack on Israel.

Harris said:

We are still assessing the impact but initial indications are that Israel, with our assistance, was able to defeat this attack [by Iran]. I will always ensure Israel has the ability to defend itself against Iran.”

Harris was in the situation room at the White House with the US president earlier on Tuesday when they were briefed on what was going on in Israel, as Iran launched a barrage of missiles at it, the vast majority of which, according to reports from Israel, were intercepted in the sky above the country and did not injure anyone on the ground.

Harris added that:

We will never hesitate to take whatever action is necessary to defend our interests against Iran.”

Updated

Joe Biden said on Tuesday that the US was “fully supportive” of Israel after Iran’s ballistic missile attacks, describing Tehran’s assault as “defeated and ineffective”.

The US president said he would now discuss with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu about how to respond to Iran, but that it remained to be seen what shape that response would take.

The attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective, and this is a testament to Israeli military capability and the US military. Make no mistake, the United States is fully, fully, fully supportive of Israel,” Biden told reporters at the White House.

Asked by reporters what the response towards Iran would be, Biden replied:

That’s in active discussion right now. That remains to be seen.”

Biden indicated he would be talking to Netanyahu in the wake of Tuesday’s developments.

Updated

The Agence France-Presse (AFP) has some background on Israel’s so-called Iron Dome, its anti-missile shield.

The Iron Dome air defence system has intercepted thousands of rockets since it went into operation in 2011, providing the country with crucial cover during times of conflict, the agency writes.

It has been heavily relied upon to protect military and civilian sites from frequent barrages of rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel’s air defences were in operation on Tuesday night, when Iran fired missiles at Israel in what it said was a response to Israel’s killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders.

Herzi Halevi, Israel’s military chief, said Tuesday that the Iranian barrage had been blunted partly by “a very strong aerial defence array”.

Israel initially developed the Iron Dome alone after the 2006 Lebanon war and was later joined by the United States, which has provided funds and know-how.

Updated

Iranian state television, long controlled by hard-liners, has aired images of people in Arak, Qom and Tehran celebrating Iran’s missile attack in Israel.

The Associated Press reported that some shouted slogans:

God is great! Death to America. Death to Israel.”

However, Iran’s support of regional militias abroad has been a point of anger domestically during protests, as the country suffers under international sanctions.

The United States has now called on every nation in the world to join it in condemning Iran’s salvo of ballistic missiles against Israel earlier today.

The US state department called the assault brazen and unacceptable.

Matthew Miller, the state department’s spokesperson, was talking a little earlier. This statement has been swiftly and enthusiastically reported by Israeli media.

British prime minister Keir Starmer said Israel had the right to defend itself and said Iran “must stop these attacks”.

Updated

Iranian state TV reported earlier that in today’s attack, the Iranian military used Fattah hypersonic missiles on Israel for the first time.

It appears that Israeli defenses, aided by the US, largely intercepted today’s rockets before they could do significant damage or injure anyone on the ground, as Israelis sheltered amid the wailing of air raid sirens.

The Tasnim News Agency, which is associated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, posted a little earlier on reports of Iran using Fattah missiles in its assault on Israel today.

Iran missile attack on Israel 'twice the scope' of April attack – Pentagon

The US Department of Defense said that in its assessment, Iran intended to inflict on Israel with its missile attack earlier today and that the barrage of missiles was about “twice the scope” of the Islamic Republic’s attack on the Jewish state back in April of this year.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have calculated that about 180 ballistic missiles were launched from Iran at Israel today.

Back on 14 April, Iran had launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel on a Saturday night in its first ever direct attack on the Israeli state. But it seems as though the weapons fired by Iran today made the overall barrage significantly more powerful than the spring attack.

In April, Tehran said it was responding to a strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on 1 April that killed a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and eight other officers.

Updated

The US Department of Defense says US navy destroyers positioned in the Middle East region fired about a dozen interceptor weapons against the barrage of missiles that were fired from Iran into Israel earlier today.

Pentagon spokesperson Maj Gen Patrick Ryder told reporters that no other US military assets were used to shoot down the missiles, which were all fired from inside Iran, Reuters reports.

An unnamed US official had earlier said that the US would support Israel in its defensive capabilities against any incoming rockets, just prior to Iran launching missiles against the Jewish state.

The Pentagon also said it was not aware of any warning by Iran prior to the missile barrage earlier, signaling, perhaps, that prior apparent knowledge of an “imminent attack” came from US/allied intelligence.

It called Iran’s attack on Israel “significant”.

Updated

US security adviser says Biden administration is monitoring 'fluid' situation

The United States national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said on Tuesday that Iran’s attack on Israel appeared to have been defeated, although Biden’s administration was still monitoring a “fluid” situation.

Sullivan said the administration was tracking the reported death of a Palestinian civilian in the West Bank, Reuters reports.

Sullivan was talking at the daily media briefing at the White House in Washington DC.

Updated

Hamas praises Iranian missile strikes avenging deaths of militant leaders

Hamas has praised the Iranian missile strikes on Israel that Iran said were launched to avenge the deaths of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, and Iranian Brig Gen Abbas Nilforoushan.

We congratulate the heroic rocket launch carried out by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in Iran, on large areas of our occupied territories, in response to the occupation’s continuing crimes against the peoples of the region, and in retaliation for the blood of our nation’s heroic martyrs,” the Hamas statement said, Reuters reported.

Hamas, the Islamic political and military group, controls the besieged Palestinian territory of Gaza.

Updated

UK prime minister condemns Iran's missile attack against Israel

Britain “completely condemns” Iran’s actions after it fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel. Keir Starmer’s office said the prime minister called for de-escalation across the region.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: “The prime minister spoke to Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu this afternoon, and they discussed the escalating situation across the Middle East.

“The prime minister condemned Iran’s attack on Israel today in the strongest terms, which began during the leaders’ conversation, and expressed the UK’s steadfast commitment to Israeli security and the protection of civilians.

“During the call, the prime minister also underlined the importance of a ceasefire in Lebanon to allow space for a political solution in line with UNSC Resolution 1701.”

The spokesperson added Starmer “also raised the situation in Gaza and the importance of a ceasefire and action to bring home the hostages”.

Updated

The Guardian’s video editors have footage from the ground in Tel Aviv showing the moment missiles caused huge explosions and damage to a restaurant on the coast:

Iran has cancelled all flights until 10am local time on Wednesday, Reuters reports. The latest update came after Iran’s civil aviation authority earlier said all flight routes were being changed.

Kuwait’s state news agency said earlier all flights were being rerouted due to the “current situation”.

IDF says most of the estimated 180 missiles fired from Iran were intercepted

The Israel Defense Forces said about 180 missiles were fired from Iran towards Israel, the BBC reports.

A security official said most of the missiles were intercepted by the Israeli air force. Where missiles made impact, the military is assessing the damage.

An IDF official also reportedly said Israel was going to continue strikes across the Middle East:

Updated

The Israeli military has said it killed the commander of the Imam Hussein division, a Hezbollah-linked group based in Syria, in Beirut.

Israel’s air force said Al-Faqar Hanawi was killed at the same time as Muhammad Jaafar Qasir, a commander in charge of weapons transfers from Iran and its affiliates to Lebanese armed group Hezbollah earlier in the day.

Interim summary

It’s been a dramatic few hours in Middle East news as warnings that Iran planned to launch ballistic missiles at Israel came to fruition. Israel’s defenses appear to have repelled the approximately 200 weapons that were fired from reaching Israeli citizens and infrastructure, even though Iran said most of the rockets reached their targets.

It’s shortly after 9pm in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and Beirut, 7pm in London and 2pm in New York, where the White House press briefing is due to begin soon.

Israel has pledged retaliation against Iran, while Iran said its assault was retaliation for Israel’s attacks on its regional Islamist proxies, Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza. And so the tit-for-tat language continues, as the United Nations chief calls for this regional escalation “to stop” and ceasefires to be agreed immediately.

Here’s where things stand:

  • António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation” and said “we absolutely need a ceasefire”.

  • The Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to be over, with reports coming through that the Israeli military has told residents across the country that they are “permitted to leave protected spaces”.

  • The Israeli military spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, spoke on television reacting to what the country called the “serious attack” on Israel by Iran today. Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), pledged that the attack “will have consequences”. He added that the country remained on high alert.

  • Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, gave the order to launch missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that Tehran “is fully ready for any retaliation”. Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations has defended the country’s missile launches against Israel today, calling it a response to “terrorist acts” by Israel.

  • The United States had stood ready to be involved in supporting Israel’s defenses against incoming rockets from Iran, an unnamed official had said prior to the missiles actually beginning to rain down on Israel.

  • The Iranian revolutionary guard said the missile launches against Israel were in retaliation for Israel’s killing of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July and, last week, the killing in Lebanon of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

  • Two waves of ballistic missiles were incoming over Israel today, fired from Iran, and were seen over Jordanian and Syrian air space before whizzing above Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities in parts of northern Israel.

  • Two gunmen were involved in what the Israeli authorities reportedly called a “terror shooting”, firing at Jewish residents in Jaffa, which is part of greater Tel Aviv. Initial reports came in shortly before Iran launched its attack on Israel and after the barrage of missiles stopped arriving over Israel, it further emerged that four had been killed and seven wounded. The two gunmen had been killed. Few details are known yet.

  • While a senior American administration official raised the alarm a little earlier that Iran is preparing “imminently” to launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the US also warned of “severe consequences” should such an assault take place.

  • Air raid sirens were heard across Israel, starting in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as Israelis were ordered to seek shelter from an imminent missile attack from Iran.

  • Prior to sirens going off, the US embassy in Israel directed all American government employees and their family members in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza to shelter in place until further notice.

'This must stop': UN secretary-general condemns 'escalation after escalation' in Middle East

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general, condemned the “broadening of the Middle East conflict, with escalation after escalation”, moments ago, after Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for Israel’s campaign against Tehran’s Hezbollah allies in Lebanon.

This must stop. We absolutely need a ceasefire,” Guterres said in a statement, Reuters reported.

This follows comments from Israel and Iran in a belligerent tit-for-tat, warning each other of the consequences of further millitary assaults from either side. At this point, what is an offensive action and what is a counteroffensive action is hard to discern, from Beirut to Tel Aviv to Tehran.

Guterres’s statement follows pleas from him earlier and multiple international urgings in the last week for the cessation of hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon.

Updated

When sirens sounded across Israel earlier, people were seen taking shelter by the side of the road, under vehicles and under bridges as Iran launched missiles towards the country. Here are some of the images from the newswires as missiles started flying across Israel:

Now back to that shooting incident in the Tel Aviv area that was still unfolding as Iranian missiles began raining down on Israel less than 90 minutes ago.

Four people were killed and seven were wounded in the shooting attack in the Jaffa neighborhood of Tel Aviv on Tuesday, Israeli police said in a statement, Reuters reports.

The police said there were two shooters and they had both been “neutralised”.

Law enforcement added that the situation was “under control”. The authorities previously called it a “suspected terror” shooting targeting Jewish residents.

The police said the families of the victims had been notified. We’ll bring you more details on this tragedy as we get them.

Here’s a post with a report from CBS News.

Updated

Iranian missile attack on Israel appears to be over

Reports are coming through that the Israeli military has told residents across the country that they are “permitted to leave protected spaces”.

The ballistic missiles began flying into the Israeli skies, passing over parts of Jordan, just over an hour ago, after several tense hours after warnings that an attack was imminent.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson, Daniel Hagari, said moments ago in a televised address that there were no reports of injuries on the ground as Iran fired what is believed to be around 200 rockets.

He added that there appeared to be no more threat of incoming weapons from Iran “for now” but added that Israel remained ready.

Israel has within the past few moments reopened its airspace.

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Israel threatens retaliation against Iran for missile attack

The Israeli military spokesperson is now on television reacting to what the country is calling the “serious attack” on Israel by Iran today.

Daniel Hagari, the spokesperson for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), pledged that the attack “will have consequences”. He added that the country remained on high alert.

The situation across Israel and the region is extremely tense tonight. It is just after 8.30pm in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

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The Guardian’s Andrew Roth has tweeted footage of missiles flying over Jerusalem:

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Iran 'ready for any retaliation' after supreme leader gave order for missile launches, reports say

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader, gave the order to launch missiles at Israel, a senior Iranian official told Reuters, adding that Tehran “is fully ready for any retaliation”.

Meanwhile, the Iranian mission to the United Nations has defended the country’s missile launches against Israel today, calling it a response to “terrorist acts” by Israel – as the Jewish state has stepped up its military offensive against Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, in Lebanon in recent days, almost a year into Israel’s war on Hamas, which has decimated Gaza.

The mission team posted on X: “Iran’s legal, rational, and legitimate response to the terrorist acts of the Zionist regime – which involved targeting Iranian nationals and interests and infringing upon the national sovereignty of the Islamic Republic of Iran – has been duly carried out.”

It appeared to indicate that there may be no more missiles launched in this current incident.

The post added: “Should the Zionist regime dare to respond or commit further acts of malevolence, a subsequent and crushing response will ensue.”

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US assisting Israel in defense against Iranian missiles – report

The raining down of missiles over Israel moments ago followed followed warnings earlier today from a senior US administration official, who has not been named, that Iran was preparing to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel.

It was not long before the threatened attack unfolded and we await news of the effect on the ground in Israel, as residents across the country were ordered to take shelter and many rushed to get into air raid shelters, and rockets were seen and hears whizzing over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The Associated Press reported also that the US official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence, said the US is actively supporting Israeli defensive preparations.

Israel has an air defense system it calls the iron dome designed to intercept incoming missiles before they can hit their targets.

When Iran launched drone and cruise missile attacks on Israel in April, in the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state, Israel claimed that with the help of key western allies including the US, UK and Jordan, it intercepted some 99% of the launches during the mass strike. Some ballistic missiles had reached Israel, damaging the key Nevatim air base in southern Israel, which remained operational.

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Israel has shut down air travel in and out of the country, and Iraq, which lies directly to the east of Israel’s easterly neighbor Jordan, has shut down its air space, Reuters reports.

Just prior to these latest developments, Israeli army radio said that all take-off and landing at Ben Gurion international airport near Tel Aviv has stopped after Iran launched missiles towards Israel.

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Almost 200 missiles reportedly launched from Iran as Iran says attack was retaliation for Nasrallah killing

Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the primary branch of the Iranian military, have said that the flurry of missiles being fired at Israel by Iran is in retaliation for the killing of the leaders of their principle proxies next to Israel, Hezbollah and Hamas.

Reuters reports that almost 200 missiles have been launched from Iran at Israel, according to Israeli army radio.

It is unclear at this time how many have reached any targets, with most reports from witnesses recounting missiles flying overhead.

The Iranian revolutionary guard said the missile launches are in retaliation for Israel’s killing of the Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh, who was killed in Tehran in July and, last week, the killing in Lebanon of the leader of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard deputy commander Abbas Nilforoushan.

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Second wave of missiles reported flying above Jerusalem

A second wave of missiles has been reported flying above Jerusalem, where the Guardian has reporters covering the news.

Barely 10 minutes after a first flurry of bombs whizzing overhead, a second wave of missiles passed over the city, apparently from a different direction, with the bright flashes of interceptions lighting up the sky as the sound of loud booms rang out across Jerusalem.

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Guardian reporters in Jerusalem witnessed dozens of missiles heading over the city going towards Israel’s main coastal cities in a huge attack at not long after 7.30pm local time, with the engines of the rockets clearly visible as they passed over.

While some interceptions could be heard over the city many of the missiles appeared to continue on unharmed and proceed towards the coast and central Israel to the sound of distant bombs.

On the edge of the Old City, many stood to watch the missiles flying overhead in what appears to have been an unprecedented attack.

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Explosions can be heard above Tel Aviv and the sound of warning sirens wailing across the city, Israel’s largest urban and economic metropolis.

In Jerusalem, explosions are also being heard, witnesses have told Reuters.

Israeli media is reporting that Iran has launched more than 100 missiles at Israel. It’s unclear whether missiles are hitting home or being intercepted in the sky above the cities. This is a rapidly unfolding, ongoing situation.

The Israeli military is now reporting that sirens are sounding across the country.

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Missiles launched from Iran, says Israeli military – report

The Israeli military says missiles have now been launched from Iran towards Israel, Reuters is reporting.

There have already been reports of air raid sirens going off in Tel Aviv and now warning sirens are sounding in Jerusalem, according to the news agency.

Here is a post on X from the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), saying that all Israeli civilians are in bomb shelters as rockets from Iran are fired at Israel.

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Reports of suspected 'terror shooting' in Jaffa

There are initial reports emerging from Israel with talk of two gunmen firing on Israelis and a number of injuries reported in Jaffa, which is part of greater Tel Aviv.

According to first reports from the scene, firing was occurring in two locations in Jaffa near the tram station on Gaza Street and Jerusalem Avenue.

At least seven people appear to have been wounded, according to several sources, including Agence France-Presse citing emergency services.

Reuters cites Israeli police referring to a suspected “terror” shooting.

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Israel expects any Iran missile attack to be on a wide scale

Israel’s military spokesperson said today that any missile attack from Iran was expected to be on a wide scale and urged citizens to take shelter in safe rooms in such an event.

Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, in a televised briefing, also said a barrage of rocket attacks aimed at the Tel Aviv region, which set off sirens, came from the Iran-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, Reuters reports.

That means that explosions in recent minutes could involve local weapons, not incoming missiles from Israel. The situation on the ground is obviously not very clear at the moment, and we are reporting what we hear from reliable sources while not drawing solid conclusions about what is actually occurring moment by moment.

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Top military chiefs in Israel and the US are talking about the intelligence reports that Iran is about to attack Israel, in retaliation for the massive Israeli strikes on Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon in recent days, according to various reports.

Israel’s Yoav Gallant and US defense secretary Lloyd Austin have spoken today, according to Axios.

US warns Iran of 'severe consequences' if it launches ballistic missiles into Israel

While a senior American administration official raised the alarm a little earlier that Iran is preparing “imminently” to launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the US also warned of “severe consequences” should such an assault take place.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the intelligence, said the US is actively supporting Israeli defensive preparations, the Associated Press reported.

To recap: Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning yesterday to Iran, which backs Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza.

There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach,” Netanyahu said, just days after an airstrike south of Beirut killed the leader of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, AP said.

Hezbollah’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, promised the group will fight on following the death Friday of its longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah. Israel has also assassinated several of the group’s top commanders in recent days. Kassem said the group’s fighters are ready and the slain commanders have already been replaced.

Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since 8 October last year, the day after Hamas sent fighters into Israel and sparked the war in Gaza.

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Israel’s security cabinet is expected to convene for a meeting in just over 30 minutes, that is 7.30pm local time, according to a post on X moments ago.

Meanwhile, there are reports citing the Israeli military that rockets are landing in the country and hitting open areas.

Air raid sirens heard in Tel Aviv – report

There are reports of air raid sirens going off in Tel Aviv, Israel’s largest commercial center with an urban population over 4 million, and also of residents being told to enter or be ready to enter bomb shelters for protection.

The Jerusalem Post reported that people in Tel Aviv are being told to seek shelter against warnings of an imminent missile attack from Iran.

The Times of Israel reported: “Rocket alert sirens are sounding in dozens of towns across central Israel and the Sharon region as well as in the northern West Bank, including Kfar Saba, Kafr Kassem, Rosh Ha’ayin and Hod Hasharon.” It also reports that explosions have been heard near Tel Aviv.

There are no reports yet of missiles actually striking any targets in Israel.

An Axios reporter posted on X about air raid sirens.

The reporter also posted about hearing that the imminent attack from Iran that is being reported will use ballistic missiles that can reach Israel within 12 minutes.

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Israel taking US warnings of imminent Iranian missile launch seriously, IDF spokesman says

The Israel Defense Forces are “taking seriously” the US warning moments ago that Iran is preparing “imminently” to launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, the IDF spokesperson just said in a TV interview.

Peter Lerner, the IDF spokesperson, spoke live on the US TV cable channel, MSNBC.

He also confirmed that “yes, there are operations that are ongoing” on the ground in Lebanon against Hezbollah and that Israel has been “conducting covert operations” that have uncovered the powerful militant group’s “staging grounds” and plans to continue and escalate attacks against Israel.

He said Israel has uncovered “vast amounts of tools of terror and death” that if Hezbollah had been able to use to carry out its intentions “it would have made what happened on October 7 would pale” in comparison – drawing a parallel with the Hamas-led attack on southern Israel almost a year ago that triggered this game-changing escalation in the region.

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António Guterres, the UN secretary general, urged Tuesday for a de-escalation of the conflict in Lebanon, his spokesperson said, as an intensifying Israeli offensive against Hezbollah raises fears of a spiraling regional war.

Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said, according to Agence France-Presse, that Guterres:

Appeals for an immediate ceasefire … an all-out war must be avoided in Lebanon at all costs, and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected.

World leaders had gathered at the UN headquarters in New York last week for the international body’s annual general assembly, but calls for ceasefires in Gaza between Israel and Hamas and in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah, offers of deals and brokerage and expressions of outrage, did not bear fruit in the Middle East, as the conflict only escalated.

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US embassy in Israel tells employees and families to shelter in place 'until further notice'

The US embassy in Israel has directed all American government employees and their family members in Israel, the occupied West Bank and Gaza to shelter in place until further notice.

In a security alert release on its website, the embassy wrote:

As a result of the current security situation, the US embassy has directed all US government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice. This is provided for your information as you make your own security plans.

The US embassy in Jerusalem reminds US citizens of the continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents, including mortar and rocket fire and unmanned aircraft system UAS intrusions, often take place without warning.

The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events.

In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the US Embassy may further restrict or prohibit US government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel (including the Old City of Jerusalem) and the West Bank.

Iranian attack on Israel may be at least as big as one in April - US official

Iran’s ballistic missile attack on Israel could be as big or potentially bigger than the one in April, if it goes ahead, a US official has told Reuters on the condition of anonymity.

US officials have said Iran appeared to be preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel.

Israel Defense Forces (IDF) spokesperson Daniel Hagari said that the IDF is on a high state of alert and that an Iranian attack on Israel would have repercussions.

In April, Iran launched hundreds of drones as well as cruise missiles towards Israel, in the Islamic Republic’s first ever direct attack on the Jewish state, in response to the strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, which killed a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards and eight other officers.

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Egypt condemns Israel's 'serious escalation' in southern Lebanon

Egypt’s foreign minister condemned what Cairo described as Israel’s “serious escalation” in southern Lebanon, after the Israeli military said it launched a “limited and focused” ground incursion.

Badr Abdelaty warned that Israel’s escalation threatens to inflame the entire region “in a way that will lead to dire security and humanitarian consequences,” according to a statement from the Egyptian foreign ministry.

Abdelaty also said Egypt will reject any attempts to establish a new status quo that violates Lebanon’s sovereignty. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said on Sunday he had ordered the immediate dispatch of emergency medical and humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

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Hezbollah says it has launched missiles towards military post in outskirts of Tel Aviv - report

Hezbollah, the Iran-backed Lebanese militant group, says it has launched missiles towards Sde Dov airbase on the outskirts of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Reuters has reported in a snap alert.

Hezbollah said its fighters launched “a salvo of Fadi-4 rockets at the Sde Dov air base in Tel Aviv”, adding the attack came in defence of Lebanon and “in response to the targeting of civilians and the massacres that the enemy carried out”.

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Back in April, Iran launched more than 300 drones and missiles towards Israel in its first ever direct attack on the Israeli state.

Tehran said then it was responding to a strike on an Iranian diplomatic building in the Syrian capital, Damascus, on 1 April that killed a senior figure in Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards.

About 99% of the incoming barrage was intercepted either outside Israeli airspace or over the country itself, Israel said.

Iran has vowed in recent days to avenge the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was assassinated by Israel in an airstrike on Beirut last Friday.

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A senior White House official has also told CBS that Iran is preparing to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel. The official said that the US is supporting “defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack”.

US warns of imminent attack on Israel from Iran - reports

AP reports Iran is preparing to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, according to a senior US administration official, who warned Tuesday of “severe consequences” should it take place. White House officials did not immediately offer any evidence backing its intelligence finding.

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William Christou reports from Beirut for the Guardian

Israel carried out at least two airstrikes in Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut on Tuesday afternoon, with the sounds of the strikes heard across the city and two smoke plumes seen emanating from Dahieh. A low-flying drone was heard flying over Beirut and Dahieh for at least an hour preceding the strikes, the target of which was unclear.

Israel announces it is calling up 'four additional reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena'

The IDF has announced in a message on Telegram that Israel’s military is calling up “four additional reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena”.

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President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has said Turkey “will never leave our Lebanese brothers on their own in these difficult days and will support them with all our means.”

Erdoğan has been a strong critic of Israel and Benjamin Netanyahu’s government since the IDF began its ground offensive in Gaza after the 7 October Hamas attack inside southern Israel.

Summary of the day so far …

  • The Israeli military has begun what it called a “limited, localised and targeted” ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, as it continued shelling areas close to the border and carrying out airstrikes on the capital, Beirut

  • Israel’s military spokesperson ordered the residents of about 30 border villages in south Lebanon to evacuate. Earlier an IDF spokesperson claimed there had been “heavy fighting”, but a later statement to Reuters from a security source suggested there had been no direct engagement between Israeli troops inside Lebanon and Hezbollah

  • Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel would do “whatever necessary” to avoid a 7 October style attack happening again on “any one of our borders”. He claimed Hezbollah had turned Lebanese villages near Israeli villages at the UN-drawn blue line into military bases from which to spring an attack

  • Lebanon’s government has said about 1,000 people have been killed, about 6,000 wounded and one million displaced from their homes as a result of Israeli attacks in recent days. Israel’s military claims it is targeting Hezbollah and terrorist infrastructure. Local residents have told Reuters that at least 600 people have sought refuge in a monastery on the Israel-Lebanon border as airstrikes continue

  • Caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has made an appeal for more international aid, saying “Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history, as about one million of our people have been displaced due to the devastating war waged by Israel on Lebanon”

  • Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares said Israel should end the operation. Spain is currently commanding the UN peacekeeping force Unifil in Lebanon, which said it had been warned by the Israelis about their plans. Turkey and Russia have also condemned Israel’s move to open up a new ground front in its conflict. Turkey said it was an illegal attempt at occupation that violated Lebanese territorial integrity

  • One of the UN’s social media accounts posted to remind members that article 2.4 of the UN Charter states that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state”

  • Poland has said will limit the number of staff at its embassy in Beirut. The UK government has chartered a plane to bring British people who want to leave back to the UK. A helicopter carrier from France will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the next five to six days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals

  • Two Israelis were injured when a rocket hit a road in central Israel. The Israeli military extended home front safety restrictions on Tuesday to many towns and cities across the country, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Gatherings are limited and workplaces and educational setting can only open if they have access to protected spaces

  • Israeli airstrikes have also reportedly hit Syria. Syria’s official news agency Sana said early on Tuesday the country’s air defence systems had intercepted three rounds of strikes in the Damascus area. Sana reported three civilians killed and nine others wounded. Israel has struck at least three anti-aircraft radar stations in southern Syria, including one stationed in a military airfield, Reuters has been told by sources

  • At least 41,638 Palestinian people have been killed and 96,460 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The toll includes 23 people killed in the last 24-hour reporting period, according to the ministry

  • The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that two of its staff were fired at with live ammunition by Israeli security forces at the entrance of Balata camp in Nablus when they were trying to transport an injured person. One Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in Nablus, while Israeli media reports four of its security forces were wounded

  • Yemen’s Houthi movement targeted Israeli military posts in Tel Aviv and Eilat with drones on Tuesday, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech. There were also reports of a vessel being targeted in the Red Sea

Israeli forces have been carrying out raids inside Lebanon for months - IDF

Israeli forces have been carrying out raids into southern Lebanon for months, uncovering Hezbollah tunnels and weapon caches under homes and uncovering invasion plans by the militant group, the spokesperson for the Israeli military has said, according to Reuters.

Daniel Hagari said the details are being declassified for the first time, hours after Israel officially announced a ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. The Israeli military’s claims have not yet been independently verified by us. We will give you more on Hagari’s comments as soon as we get more information on them.

Here are some of the latest images coming from the newswires out of Israel and Lebanon:

Israel strikes three anti-aircraft radar stations in Syria - report

Israel has struck at least three anti-aircraft radar stations in southern Syria, including one stationed in a military airfield, Reuters has been told be sources. These reports have not been independently verified by the Guardian.

The drone strikes hit two radar stations west of the city of Sweida, including one located in an airbase in the area, the two military sources told Reuters, while another hit a radar station in the adjoining Daraa province. They are part of the Syrian army’s air defences in the southern region, the sources said.

Syrian state media reported early on Tuesday that three civilians had been killed in Israeli strikes on the capital Damascus (see opening summary for more details).

Israel has been carrying out strikes against Iran-linked targets in Syria for years but these attacks have intensified since last October.

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600 people seek refuge from Israeli strikes in monastery in south Lebanon, residents say

Local residents have told Reuters that at least 600 people have sought refuge in a monastery on the Israel-Lebanon border as Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon are continuing.

An Israeli military spokesperson warned residents of Ain Ebl and at least 20 other towns to evacuate their homes immediately because the military said it would target homes the IDF said Hezbollah was using.

The residents fled to the monastery in the town of Rmeish, in southern Lebanon, which did not receive an Israeli warning, and were waiting for an army convoy to escort them to Beirut, they told Reuters.

Death toll in Gaza reaches 41,638 says health ministry

At least 41,638 Palestinian people have been killed and 96,460 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since 7 October, the Gaza health ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The toll includes 23 people killed in the last 24-hour reporting period, according to the ministry.

The health ministry has said thousands of other dead people are most likely lost in the rubble of the enclave.

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Russia, which invaded Ukraine in February 2022, on Tuesday called on Israel to withdraw troops from Lebanon, and warned that the attack would lead to a further escalation of violence in the Middle East.

Reuters reports Russia’s foreign ministry said in a statement “Russia strongly condemns the attack on Lebanon and calls on the Israeli authorities to immediately cease hostilities, withdraw their troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a real search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict.”

Earlier Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov expressed concern over Israeli troops crossing into Lebanon, and at reports of an Israeli airstrike in Damascus killing three civilians.

Israel extends home front safety restrictions to include Jerusalem and Tel Aviv

The Israeli military extended home front safety restrictions on Tuesday to many towns and cities across the country, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

In a message on its official Telegram channel, the IDF said the changes would come into effect from 2pm local time (11am GMT). It said:

The main changes are as follows:

Educational activities can be held in a place where you can reach a protected space in case of an alert.

Gatherings and services can be held with a limit of up to 30 people in an open area and up to 300 people in closed spaces.

Workplaces can operate in a building or place where you can reach a protected space in case of an alert.

Reuters reports that Poland will limit the number of staff at its embassy in Beirut, with a foreign ministry spokesperson adding that Warsaw would organise transport for Polish citizens who want to leave Lebanon.

Israel’s air force has published a map illustrating what it says is the extent of rocket fire into Israeli-held territory from the direction of Lebanon today.

UK foreign minister Lammy: way forward in Lebanon is 'political solution, not a military one'

UK foreign secretary David Lammy has warned that the situation in Lebanon could become “much, much more dangerous” as he urged Britons to leave the country, and said the way forward is a political solution, not a military one.

PA Media quotes him saying the situation is “volatile and has the potential to deteriorate quickly,” adding:

We continue contingency planning for a range of scenarios in the region but you should not wait for these. We know that events can escalate with little warning and the situation on the ground could become much, much more dangerous. This means there’s no guarantee that another option will become available. The UK government is providing an option for you to leave now. My message is clear: take it.

Speaking later to the BBC, Lammy said:

Our position remains the same. Having spoken to our American colleagues and other allies, we’re calling for an immediate ceasefire. We need a diplomatic solution to the problems in Lebanon, so that Israelis can go back to their homes in northern Israel, and Lebanese can return to their homes in southern Lebanon. So at this time, we want to see a political solution, the Amos Hochstein plan, which is on the table from the Americans, and an immediate ceasefire.

Pressed that neither Israel or Hezbollah was listening to pleas from the international community, Lammy said “We will continue to speak to the Israelis and indeed to other actors in the Middle East. At this time, none of us want to see a regional escalation.”

Hezbollah is a proscribed terrorist group in the UK.

Lammy continued:

None of us want to return to the years in which Israel found itself bogged down in a quagmire in southern Lebanon and pitched battles between Israeli soldiers and the Lebanese side. And that is why we believe that resolution 1701 should be implemented, and that Hezbollah should withdraw up to the Litani River so that Israelis can feel safe in northern Israel. But the way forward is a political solution, not a military one.

Lebanon's caretaker PM appeals for more aid with about one million people displaced by Israeli attacks

The National News Agency in Lebanon reporters that caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has met with UN organisations and ambassadors of donor countries. It quotes Mikati saying:

We meet today at a time when Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history, as about one million of our people have been displaced due to the devastating war waged by Israel on Lebanon. We are working diligently in cooperation with the UN institutions to secure the basic needs of the displaced Lebanese, as we have done during all the difficult stages that Lebanon has gone through.
We greatly appreciate the continued support provided by the UN, as well as the support of our sister Arab countries and other friendly countries. Today, we urgently appeal for more support to enhance our ongoing efforts to provide essential assistance to displaced civilians.

Clashes in occupied West Bank leave one Palestinian dead, four Israeli soldiers wounded

The Palestine Red Crescent Society reports that two of its staff were fired at with live ammunition by Israeli security forces at the entrance of Balata camp in Nablus when they were trying to transport an injured person.

Earlier Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that a 33-year-old was killed by Israeli security forces in Nablus in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. It reports that 30 people, including a child, have been detained by Israeli forces in the last 24 hours.

Israeli media reports that four soldiers were injured, one seriously, when they were fired upon while trying to detain a suspect.

Israel orders Lebanese residents to evacuate 30 villages in southern Lebanon

William Christou reports from Lebanon for the Guardian

Israel’s military spokesperson ordered the residents of about 30 border villages in south Lebanon to evacuate, Tuesday at noon, telling them to head north of the Awali river, nearly 35 miles from the border, as Israel conducted what it said were “limited” raids into Lebanon.

The Awali river is a bit north of Sidon, far beyond what is now considered the theatre of fighting in Lebanon. It is unclear why Israel asked residents of certain towns in the south, and not neighbouring ones, to evacuate, nor is it clear why they ordered them to evacuate so far north.

Besides the 30 villages named by the Israeli military spokesperson, many villages south of the Awali river, including Sidon and the southern city of Tyre, were not asked to evacuate.

“The IDF does not want to harm you and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately” Israeli military spokesperson Avichay Adraee said in a post on X, adding that Israel would tell residents when they could return home.

The noon-time announcement came after the Israelis told residents not to move southwards past the Litani river, about 20 miles away from the UN-drawn blue line that separates Lebanon and Israel.

For almost a year, the Israelis have demanded that Hezbollah be removed from the area south of the Litani as fighters used it as a staging ground for rocket attacks on north Israel. Hezbollah has thus far rebuffed its demand.

Spain, which commands UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, tells Israel to cease ground operation

Israel should cease conducting ground raids in southern Lebanon to avoid an escalation of the conflict enveloping the region, Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares told reporters on Tuesday.

El País quoted the minister saying:

It is an unbearable conflict and it has to stop now. We cannot resign ourselves to war being the normal way of relating between the peoples of the Middle East. To achieve peace there is only one way: respect for international humanitarian law. This spiral of violence has to stop.

He called for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza.

Since February 2022, Spain has commanded the United Nations’ Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), and it has over 650 troops deployed there as part of the 10,000 strong force.

Turkey condemns Israeli ground operation inside Lebanon as an illegal attempt at occupation

Turkey’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday that Israel’s ground offensive into Lebanon was an illegal attempt at occupation that violated Lebanese territorial integrity, and added the operation must immediately end with Israel withdrawing from Lebanon.

Reuters reports that in a statement the foreign ministry also said the move increased regional instability, and that it was highly likely it would lead to a wave of migration.

Lebanon’s government has said that one million people – a fifth of the population – have been displaced from their homes by Israeli airstrikes in recent days, and tens of thousands are believed to have travelled across the border into Syria.

Hezbollah has claimed to have fired missiles at the Mossad headquarters and at a military intelligence unit on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon says Israel informed it of ground incursion plans

The UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, said on Tuesday the Israeli army had notified it of its intention to undertake what the Israelis have termed “limited ground incursions”.

Reuters reports that in a statement, Unifil said that despite the developments in Lebanon, peacekeepers remained in position.

It reminded Israel that “Any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation of UN security council resolution 1701.”

Israel earlier today accused the Lebanese government of not enforcing resolution 1701, which calls for the Lebanese army and the UN peacekeeping force to be the only armed groups permitted between the Litani River and the UN-drawn blue line which separates Israel and Lebanon. The line was drawn, and the resolution passed, in 2006. Israel accuses Lebanon of allowing Hezbollah to build a stronghold south of the Litani, right up against northern Israel.

Syria’s foreign ministry has condemned an Israeli strike on Damascus earlier today which it said killed three people. In a statement the ministry said:

The Israeli enemy launched an air aggression at dawn today targeting several points in the city of Damascus, which led to the martyrdom of three civilians, the injury of nine, and the occurrence of significant damage to private property.

Syria condemns this brutal Israeli aggression and renews its call to the world to put an end to this Israeli chaos that is igniting the entire region and threatening regional and international peace and security.

The ministry said Syria had a “legitimate right to defend its land and people and to resist these crimes by all means guaranteed by international law.”

The Israeli defense minister’s office said Yoav Gallant has briefed US defense secretary Lloyd Austin on Israel’s raids into Lebanon, Reuters reports.

A road has been blocked in central Israel after it appears it was hit by a rocket. The Magen David Adom ambulance service now says it has treated two people at the scene – a bus driver who was hit by shrapnel, and another motorist. The military correspondent for the Times of Israel, Emanuel Fabian, posted images from the scene.

Israeli security official says there have been no direct clashes with Hezbollah inside Lebanon, contradicting earlier IDF claim of 'heavy fighting'

The raids by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon that began overnight were limited and went only a short distance over the border, an Israeli security official has told Reuters, adding that no direct clashes with Hezbollah fighters were reported.

Reuters said the official would not be drawn on how far inside Lebanon the IDF service personnel had reached, but suggested it was within walking distance of the UN-drawn blue line which separates the two countries.

The official told the news agency a wider operation targeting the Lebanese capital Beirut, which has been hit by repeated airstrikes in recent days, was “not on the table”.

The suggestion there has been no clashes directly contradicts an earlier statement by IDF Arabic language spokesperson Avichay Adraee, who in a warning to Lebanese citizens that they should not move south of the Litani River claimed that there was heavy fighting.

Israeli media is reporting that one person has been “moderately wounded” after a rocket barrage fired from inside Lebanon aimed at locations in central Israel.

A helicopter carrier from France will arrive in the eastern Mediterranean in the next five to six days and take up position in case a decision is taken to evacuate foreign nationals from Lebanon, Reuters reports a French army spokesperson said on Tuesday.

Earlier the British government said it is chartering a flight to assist Britons who want to flee Lebanon, where the government says Israeli airstrikes have killed about 1,000 people and injured about 6,000 more in the past few days.

Fighting continues in the Gaza Strip. Local medical sources say that 21 people have been killed so far on Tuesday by Israeli strikes, Reuters reports. Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and other smaller militant factions have said in separate statements that their fighters attacked Israeli forces operating in several areas of Gaza with anti-tank rockets, mortar fire, and explosive devices.

Air raid sirens have sounded in central Israel, including in Tel Aviv. The IDF said “a number of projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon into Israeli territory, some of which were intercepted.”

More details soon …

It remains unclear exactly what has transpired in the Red Sea, but at the moment the latest indication is that a vessel was struck by a missile and sustained damage at 97 nautical miles northwest of Yemen’s Hodeidah port, and the crew are safe.

More details soon …

Here are some of the latest pictures sent to us over the news wires from Lebanon.

IDF spokesperson: Israel will continue to do 'whatever necessary' to avoid 7 October repeat on any of its borders

Israel’s military spokesperson Daniel Hagari has issued a video message in English, in which he has claimed Israel is attacking villages inside Lebanon which Hezbollah has converted to military bases as part of a plan to launch an attack on Israel, and said his nation will “continue doing whatever necessary” to avoid a 7 October style attack happening again on “any one of our borders”.

In the statement, Hagari says:

The Israel Defense Forces is conducting limited and targeted raids along Israel’s northern border against the threat Hezbollah poses to civilians in northern Israel. These localized ground raids will target Hezbollah strongholds that threaten Israeli towns, kibbutzim and communities along our border.

Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases all ready for an attack on Israel. Hezbollah had prepared to use those villages as staging grounds for an 7 October style invasion into Israeli homes. Hezbollah planned to invade Israel, attack Israeli communities and massacre innocent men, women and children. They called this plan “Conquer the Galilee”.

For decades, UN security council resolutions have called on Lebanon to make sure that its territory is free of non-governmental armed groups. UN security council resolution 1701 from 2006, agreed upon by Israel and Lebanon, requires that there be no armed personnel, assets and weapons other than those of the government of Lebanon and Unifil in southern Lebanon.

18 years after [resolution] 1701, Hezbollah is the world’s largest non-state army, and southern Lebanon is swarming with Hezbollah terrorists and weapons. If the state of Lebanon and the world can’t push Hezbollah away from our border, we have no choice but to do it ourselves.

I want to make it clear our war is with Hezbollah, not with the people of Lebanon. We do not want to harm Lebanese civilians, and we are taking measures to prevent that. We will not let [a] 7 October happen again on any one of our borders. We will continue doing whatever necessary so that Israeli families can return to their homes in safety and security.

The Lebanese government has said that since Israel stepped up its airstrikes on the country, about 1,000 people including women and children have been killed, about 6,000 injured, and an estimated one million people displaced from their homes.

About 60,000 people in northern Israel have been displaced from their homes by rocket fire from Hezbollah and other anti-Israeli forces operating inside Lebanon. Dozens were killed in Lebanon and thousands more wounded when pagers and walkie-talkies were detonated last month. Although it has not directly claimed responsibility, the attack is widely attributed to an Israeli operation targeting Hezbollah operatives.

One of the UN’s social media accounts this morning posted to remind members that article 2.4 of the UN Charter states that “All Members shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”

Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, recently described a non-binding vote by the UN general assembly that Israel end its nearly six decades of occupying the Palestinian West Bank territory as “shameful.”

Israelis warn Lebanese citizens not to travel in southern Lebanon amid 'heavy fighting'

William Christou is in Beirut for the Guardian, and has this latest report on the situation this morning:

Following Israel’s announcement that it was starting a “limited” incursion into south Lebanon, Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued a statement on Tuesday morning, telling Lebanese not to travel in vehicles from the north to the region south of the Litani river “for their personal safety”.

“Heavy fighting is taking place in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah elements using the civilian environment and the population as human shields to launch attacks,” Adraee said in an announcement on X.

The Litani river, about 20 miles north of the Lebanon-Israel border, separates the border region from the rest of Lebanon. Israel has demanded that Hezbollah withdraw its fighters north of the Litani river since fighting began on 8 October. Hezbollah has refused to negotiate on its presence south of the Litani until a ceasefire in Gaza was achieved.

Israeli jets carried out strikes on over a dozen targets in south Lebanon overnight, while shelling targeted areas facing the closed military zone established by Israel on Monday night. Israel also struck what it said were “Hezbollah installations” in Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, in successive waves of airstrikes.

Hezbollah announced that it was targeting Israeli soldiers who were approaching the UN-drawn blue line that separates Israel and Lebanon with rockets and shelling. The group said that it had fired on Israeli troops in Metula, a town on the Israeli side of the line, on Monday morning.

Lebanese authorities had yet to report casualties for the overnight fighting, but a medical source in Marjayoun public hospital in south Lebanon said they received wounded overnight.

Residents of south Lebanon found themselves unable to flee during the intense bombing overnight, with at least two major roads reported impassable due to airstrikes.

The Palestinian Wafa news agency has reported 19 civilians have been killed by Israeli airstrikes this morning, including on the Shuja’iyya school, which was housing displaced people near Gaza City. It claims that women and children were among the victims.

The IDF earlier issued a statement claiming it was targeting a Hamas command and control centre at the school, which has Israel has previously bombed.

The claims have not been independently verified. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.

Yemen’s Houthi movement targeted Israeli military posts in Tel Aviv and Eilat with drones on Tuesday, the group’s military spokesperson Yahya Saree said in a televised speech, Reuters reports.

A couple of images have appeared on the news wires which show the Israeli military operation in which IDF troops have entered Lebanon.

Itamer Ben-Gvir, Israel’s far-right interior security minister, who has previously threatened to collapse Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition government if it agreed a ceasefire with Hezbollah, has posted to social media saying he prays for the success of Israel’s ground invasion inside Lebanon. He said:

The decisions we made in the last few days are important, correct and necessary decisions. At the same time, this is the time not to stop, [but] to continue doing everything, with all our might, and crush the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, in order to return the residents of the north to their homes safely. I pray for the success of the IDF soldiers who are currently fighting in difficult conditions in southern Lebanon, the people of Israel stand behind them.

Israel warns Lebanese citizens in southern Lebanon against moving vehicles amid what it describes as 'heavy fighting'

In the warning issued by Israel’s Arabic language military spokesperson, Lebanese residents have been cautioned against moving their vehicles while what Avichay Adraee described as “heavy fighting” was taking place.

It says:

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.

Israel claims to be targeting Hezbollah inside Lebanon, where more than 1,000 people have been killed in the past two weeks, 6,000 wounded and, according to the Lebanese government, one million displaced. About 60,000 Israelis have been displaced from their homes in northern Israel by near constant rocket fire from Hezbollah from the direction of Lebanon into Israel since 8 October 2023.

Hebrew media outlet Ynet has published what it claims are recordings of the address to Israeli troops as they entered Lebanon. It quotes Brig Gen Guy Levy of the IDF 98th division telling service personnel:

You fight with courage, aggression, lethality and determination. At the beginning of the new year we are on the battlefield, the first to attack for a new reality for the residents of the north. Our mission is to attack the terrorist organisation Hezbollah, to destroy its infrastructure, weapons and terrorists, in order to remove the threat to the residents of the state of Israel and to create the conditions for the return of the residents of the north to their homes in safety.

There is some breaking news via Reuters that a vessel in the Red Sea has reported being struck by an “uncrewed surface vessel”.

More details soon …

UK government has chartered flight out of Lebanon for Britons wishing to leave

As reported earlier, the UK Government has chartered a flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave the country.

David Lammy, the foreign secretary, described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly”.

British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the flight, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised. There are 5,000 British single and dual nationals in Lebanon, including members of their immediate families, and the government said it was working on “all contingency options”.

Nadeem Badshah and Helen Sullivan have more details here: UK charters flight from Lebanon as governments prepare evacuation plans

Israel’s military has published more detail of rocket fire aimed into Israeli territory, saying that in the last hour or so Metula has been targeted twice, and several projectiles were also fired at Avivim. Both Israeli communities are very close to the UN-drawn blue line that separates Israel and Lebanon.

The IDF, in its message on Telegram, said that “some of the projectiles were intercepted and fallen projectiles were identified” and that some fell into open areas. There were no immediate reports of any casualties.

In today’s First Edition newsletter, my colleague Nimo Omer spoke to the Guardian’s international security correspondent, Jason Burke, about the latest developments in the region:

More than 1,000 people in Lebanon have been killed in the past two weeks, 6,000 wounded and, according to the Lebanese government, one million displaced. Meanwhile in Gaza, the humanitarian situation has eroded further. With little to no infrastructure available to support the displaced population, disease is rampant and civilians are living in the most catastrophic conditions. There is little political incentive for Benjamin Netanyahu to let up, as the assassination of the Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has given the embattled Israeli prime minister a political boost. Israel has shown no intention of relenting.

At this point, there is too much uncertainty to predict the long term impact of the assassination of Nasrallah on Hezbollah but in the short term “it’s a really devastating blow”, Jason says. “Not only have they lost a charismatic and popular leader – among his supporters at least – [but] Nasrallah was also competent and effective. You don’t get to stay at the top of a group like that for 32 years without being good at what you do.”

As expected, the Shia militia group has sworn to enact revenge attacks but, as of yet, it appears to have been unable to retaliate in any serious way. “Even though Israeli air defences are very effective, it’s been said for a long time that Hezbollah, which has massive stocks of rockets and missiles, would be able to overwhelm those defences and cause significant casualties and destruction in much of northern and central Israel but so far, they’ve not been able to do anything much,” Jason says.

This hesitation perhaps is borne of an awareness that Israel’s response to such an attack is likely to be equally if not more devastating. “Hezbollah is a state within a state and primarily acts in its own interests, or those of its sponsor, Iran. But whatever happens the consequences for Lebanon are going to be very tough indeed.

You can read more of Jason Burke’s analysis in the First Edition newsletter: Tuesday briefing – What we know so far about Israel’s overnight ‘ground operation’ in Lebanon

A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea, likely marking their first assault on commercial shipping in weeks, the Associated Press reported.

The attack Tuesday morning took place 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 travelling through the waterway.

A captain on a ship saw four “splashes” near his vessel, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre 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. However, they sometimes take hours or days to acknowledge one of their assaults.

The Houthis had threatened “escalating military operations” targeting Israel on Monday.

Hezbollah has said it targeted Israeli troops in a town in the country’s north early on Tuesday.

According to a statement from the militant group published in some Arabic media, Hezbollah targeted “Israeli soldiers at the Metula site with artillery shells and achieved casualties.”

The Israeli military has made no comment on reported casualties, but said that after an air raid alert in Metula, five rocket launches were detected.

“Some of them were intercepted”, the IDF said, adding that crashes were detected in the area.

Israel launches ground incursion into Lebanon

First details are now beginning to emerge over the scope of Israel’s ground incursion into southern Lebanon. So far the focus of the Israeli operation appears to a series of villages in the area of the border north of the Israeli border communities of Metula, Kfar Giladi and Misgav Am.

The border at this point, north of the town of Kiryat Shimona, pokes up into Lebanon like a finger, exposed on three sides and overlooked at points by high wooded ridges. Beyond is a small plain leading towards the town of Marjayoun (once the headquarters of the Israeli allied South Lebanon Army).

According to Lebanese correspondents in the area the villages on the northern side of the border were targeted heavily during the night by Israeli artillery fire and machine gun fire from the area of Metula.

More, albeit vague details, were provided by the Jerusalem Post which said that the IDF had “manoeuvreed into several villages in the eastern sector of Lebanon on Tuesday, where, according to intelligence, Hezbollah has terrorist infrastructure.

IDF artillery also fired at the area, aiming to destroy terrorist infrastructure, kill Hezbollah terrorists, and disrupt terrorist activity.”

The objectives of the “limited operation” as described by Israel remained largely unclear. In previous wars and operations – including Operation Litani in 1978, the Israeli invasion and occupation of Lebanon in the 1980s through to 2000, and the Second Lebanese war in 2006, Israel has struggled to secure any lasting gains from its military operations.

Airstrikes also continued over night in other parts of Lebanon, including heavy explosions that occurred in the south Beirut suburbs and a strike targeting the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon where at least six people were reported killed including three children in a strike on a member of the Palestinian Fatah movement.

Opening summary

Hello and welcome to the Guardian’s live coverage of the conflict in the Middle East.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) confirmed in the early hours of Tuesday that it had launched what it called a “limited” ground operation in southern Lebanon targeting Hezbollah, while it continued to bombard the rest of the country and also reportedly carried out deadly strikes on Syria.

There were reports of casualties from an Israeli strike on the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian refugee camp near the Lebanese city of Sidon, while towns near the border with Israel, including Aita al-Shaab, Marjayoun, Wazzani and Khiam were shelled on Monday night. The IDF has not commented on the claims.

US defence secretary Lloyd Austin said he had spoken to his Israeli counterpart Yoav Gallant and that the pair had “agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border” with Lebanon.

He also said he had “made clear that the United States is well-postured to defend US personnel, partners, and allies in the face of threats from Iran and Iran-backed terrorist organizations”.

Israel carried out more airstrikes in Dahieh in Beirut’s southern suburbs. The neighbourhood is where Israel levelled several apartment blocks on Friday when it is believed to have used a so-called bunker buster bomb to kill Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Syrian state media reported that three civilians were killed in Israeli airstrikes, while state television reported that one of its anchors was killed; it was not clear if they were among the three civilians.

In other developments:

  • Heavy shelling into Lebanon was taking place along the border in the area north of Kiryat Shimona. The towns of Marjayoun, Wazzani and Khiam were being shelled on Monday night. There were also reports of a heavy presence of Israeli aircraft over southern Lebanon.

  • Israel launched a strike on a building in the Ain al-Hilweh Palestinian camp near southern Lebanon’s city of Sidon, a Palestinian source told the Reuters news agency. Israeli media is reporting that Mounir Maqdah, who is reportedly a commander in the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and the purported target of the strike, was injured in the attack. Al Jazeera has reported multiple casualties in the strike. Ain al-Hilweh is Lebanon’s largest camp for Palestinian refugees. If confirmed it would be the first strike on the overcrowded camp since cross-border hostilities broke out nearly a year ago.

  • Syrian state media reported early on Tuesday that three civilians had been killed in Israeli strikes on the capital Damascus. State television had earlier said one of its presenters had been killed; it was not immediately clear whether they were among the three mentioned by state media. The reports could not be verified independently.

  • Israel carried out more airstrikes in Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut, after the Israeli military issued new instructions ordering residents of three buildings in the neighbourhood to evacuate immediately. Huge explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital late on Monday night. Israel’s military spokesperson Avichay Adraee issued maps of three locations in Dahieh, instructing residents to evacuate more than 500 metres away, marking the second time Israel instructed residents of Dahieh to evacuate prior to strikes.

  • At least 95 people were killed in Israeli strikes across Lebanon on Monday, according to the country’s health ministry. An airstrike early on Monday hit an apartment building in central Beirut – the first to hit in the heart of the Lebanese capital since 2006.

  • The Lebanese army said it was “repositioning and regrouping forces” amid reports it had withdrawn three miles from the country’s southern border. The Lebanese army has evacuated observation posts at Lebanon’s southern border with Israel and moved to barracks in the border villages, according to reports.

  • UN peacekeepers in Lebanon can no longer patrol border areas in the south due to heavy artillery fire from Israeli forces and Hezbollah, a UN spokesperson said. The peacekeeping force of more than 10,000 personnel “remain in position” but cannot carry out road patrols due to “the intensity of the rockets going back and forth”, a spokesperson for the UN secretary general said on Monday.

  • A US state department spokesperson said Israel had informed the US that it was conducting “limited ground operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border”. The US president, Joe Biden, said he was aware of Israel’s plans to launch an operation into Lebanon as he urged against such a move. “I’m more aware than you might know and I’m comfortable with them stopping,” he told reporters at the White House. “We should have a ceasefire now.”

  • The US is sending a “few thousand” troops to the Middle East to bolster security and to defend Israel if necessary, the Pentagon said on Monday. The increased presence will involve multiple fighter jet and attack aircraft squadrons, Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters. The additional forces would raise the total number of troops in the region to as many as 43,000.

  • The UK government announced it has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid escalating violence. The flight is due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri international airport on Wednesday, the Foreign Office said, with priority given to vulnerable British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18.

  • Canada has announced it has reserved 800 seats on commercial flights to evacuate its citizens from Lebanon. “The security situation in Lebanon is becoming increasingly dangerous and volatile,” Canadian foreign affairs minister Melanie Joly wrote on X.

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