Israeli forces begin 'targeted' ground operation in Lebanon, IDF says (original) (raw)
Japan has 'grave concern' over Israel's incursion
Japan would much rather see a cease-fire between Israel and foes to its west and north than the limited ground incursion targeting Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon, Japan’s chief cabinet secretary said at his daily news briefing.
“Amidst calls by the international community for restraint for all parties concerned ... Israel conducted a ground operation in Lebanon,” Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“Japan expresses its grave concern,” he added.
Yoshimasa called for Israel and its enemies to lay down their arms and perform the following: do earnest work on a diplomatic solution, show restraint on the battlefield, implement measures to prevent civilian casualties, comply with international humanitarian laws and implement a United Nations resolution, known as 1701, that calls on peacekeeping forces and Lebanese soldiers to maintain a zone between Israel and Hezbollah fighters.
About 50 Japanese citizens are in Lebanon, Hayashi said. The country is prepared to do whatever is needed to get them out, he said, including using Self-Defense Force aircraft for evacuations.
Smoke can be seen in the distance as explosions happen at Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport shortly after officials said Israel’s ground incursion into Lebanon had begun.
Critics question Israel's description of ground operation
Some critics have expressed skepticism about the description of Israel’s ground operation in Lebanon as “targeted,” recalling similar representations of Israel’s ground assault into Rafah in May.
Biden had threatened to withhold arms from Israel if there was a major ground offensive in Rafah but later said the offensive did not cross his administration's “red line” because it was limited to a strategic area in order to fight Hamas.
In July, NBC News was able to visit the city and documented a devastated ghost town. Buildings were completely leveled, and there was almost no one to be found, whereas just weeks before it was home to more than 1 million Palestinians.
British families of Israeli hostages tell Netanyahu to make a deal for their return
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
British families of Israeli hostages had a message for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at a London news conference today: make a deal so their loved ones can come home.
“My message to him is to listen to the people of Israel and get that deal,” said Sharone Lifschitz, whose father, Oded, 84, remains in captivity in Gaza after he was captured on Oct. 7. Lifschitz's mother, Yocheved, was freed last year as part of an exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
“I don't think that he should wait until after the election to reach a deal. There is the possibility of a deal now, and what is missing is the will of both sides,” she added.
Stephen Brisley, whose brother-in-law Eli Sharabi, 52, remains in Gaza, called on Netanyahu to “become statesmanlike and do the right thing and secure a deal.”
“Too long has passed with the deal in various iterations over the last six or eight months," Brisley said. "It’s unfathomable to me that it’s been impossible to get one of those deals over the line."
World is 'safer' without Hezbollah leader, Blinken says
Secretary of State Antony Blinken called Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah a “brutal terrorist” today and said Lebanon, the Middle East and the world are safer without him.
Speaking at the D-ISIS Ministerial meeting at the State Department, Blinken also underscored that pursuing diplomacy was the only route to bring stability to the region.
Israel says it has begun 'limited, localized and targeted' ground incursion
Israel Defense Forces troops have begun a ground incursion into Lebanon, Israel said, adding that the operation will be limited in scope.
"A few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon," the IDF said in a statement.
The declaration of a limited mission comes amid fear of a full-on regional war. Hezbollah militants, who energized their attacks on Israel after Hamas militants' Oct. 7 terrorist attack on the country, are backed by Iran.
The IDF said the incursion is meant to protect Israeli citizens who live along the border with Lebanon.
Israel's ground incursion into Lebanon appears to have begun, U.S. officials say
Israeli officials notified the U.S. that it planned to begin a ground incursion into Lebanon that would be limited in scope, scale and duration, and two U.S. officials told NBC News that the operation appears to have begun.
The officials said the U.S. does not have independent confirmation, but the timing tracks with what the Israelis notified the U.S. it had planned.
The officials said the U.S. has not seen any movement of assets or equipment in Iran to indicate that a response from Tehran is imminent, but Iran has been postured to move quickly if it decides to do so.
Iran has signaled to the U.S. that it still does not want a wider war, the officials said.
U.K. to citizens in Lebanon: It is vital that you leave now
The U.K. urged its citizens in Lebanon to leave amid Israel's attacks on Iran-backed Hezbollah forces there.
"The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly," Foreign Secretary David Lammy said in a statement today. "It is vital that you leave now, as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.”
The government has chartered a flight to help British nationals, partners and dependents who want to leave Lebanon, the U.K.’s Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office said.
The flight was scheduled to depart Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, with more flights possible, the office said in a statement.
The government earlier moved to increase capacity on commercial flights so citizens could leave amid the attacks.
The U.K. government, which has sent troops to the region, has called for a cease-fire, as has President Joe Biden.
Nearly 100 killed in strikes in Lebanon in 24 hours, health officials say
Reuters
At least 95 people were killed and 172 were wounded in Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s southern regions, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut in the past 24 hours, Lebanon’s health ministry said just after midnight in Lebanon.
The vast majority were killed in the south, with 23 killed in the east and four in Beirut.
According to Lebanese government daily figures, 1,745 people have been killed and 8,767 have been wounded since cross-border fighting began nearly a year ago.
Large blasts sound in southern Beirut from Israeli strike
Reuters
Huge consecutive blasts were heard across the Lebanese capital just after midnight local time, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military carried out strikes on the city’s southern suburbs.
A massive smoke cloud could be seen in a Reuters live broadcast.
The Israeli military had warned an hour earlier that it would strike specific buildings in the typically densely populated southern suburbs, saying Hezbollah was using them and telling residents to leave.
Many residents had fled in recent days after a spike in Israeli strikes but ended up sleeping in the streets of the city as shelters were full.
Families told Reuters they had struggled to find taxis to get them out of the district fast enough.
Families take shelter by seaside in Beirut
Matt Nighswander
Hassan Ammar / AP
Families sleep on Beirut's corniche, a seaside promenade, after fleeing the Israeli airstrikes in the city's southern suburbs.
IDF orders immediate evacuations of civilians in southern Beirut
The Israel Defense Forces ordered the immediate evacuations of civilians from their homes in parts of southern Beirut.
The military shared pictures indicating particular buildings in the suburbs of Laylaki, Haret Hreik and Burj Al-Barajneh and ordered residents to leave.
"You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah, and therefore the IDF will act against them forcefully," IDF spokesperson Avichay Adraee said on X. "For your safety and the safety of your family, you must evacuate the buildings immediately, starting at a distance of no less than 500 meters."
Displaced people fleeing southern Lebanon take shelter in parking lot
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
Lebanese civilians fleeing Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon took refuge in a parking lot in the coastal town of Sidon.
Scores of families could be seen sitting on the floor, with bedding nearby. Drying laundry hung on a fence surrounding the parking lot.
"We have many needs," a man carrying an infant told an NBC News crew. "The most important one is shelter for the children."
About 1 million people have been displaced in Lebanon as a result of the escalating conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, according to Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
IDF designates 'closed military area' in northern Israel ahead of ground operation in Lebanon
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
The Israel Defense Forces announced the designation of "a closed military area" in northern Israel ahead of a possible ground operation in Lebanon.
The area consists of the town of Metula and two kibbutzim, Meshgav Am and Kfar Giladi, the IDF said on X, adding that entering the area is prohibited.
A limited ground operation into Lebanon could begin as early as today, according to a U.S. official, a Biden administration official and a source familiar with the planning.
Israeli tanks by the Israeli-Lebanese border today.Erik Marmor / Getty Images
Lebanese refugees cross into Iraq
Seventeen Lebanese refugees crossed into Iraq via the Al-Qaim border between Syria and Iraq, the Iraqi Red Crescent said today. Among them was a wounded person, it added.
"The Red Crescent teams received the displaced and provided food services and first aid, especially to the wounded," it said in a statement.
To date, 144 Lebanese refugees have crossed into Iraq through the Al-Qaim border, the statement said.
Lebanese health system overstretched, WHO warns
Lebanon’s health system remains impacted and overstretched by a new escalation of violence in the country, the World Health Organization said today in a situation report.
Warning that displaced people were at increased risk of diseases, the United Nations agency said that around 118,466 new displacements took place between Sept. 23 and 27.
Israel continues to carry out airstrikes on targets in Beirut and elsewhere in Lebanon.
Israeli ground operation into southern Lebanon could begin today, officials say
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Israel is planning a limited ground operation into Lebanon that could begin imminently, according to a U.S. official, a Biden administration official and a source familiar with the planning.
Israel informed the U.S. that the incursion into southern Lebanon could begin as early as today and that the intent is to push Hezbollah forces further away from the Israeli border and target their infrastructure, including stockpiles and weapons, the officials explained.
The offensive will be limited in duration and scope, possibly beginning as early as tonight and lasting for days, not weeks, they said, adding that the geographical reach will be limited.
Israel has begun probing operations already, the U.S. official said, including small-scale ground missions with their Special Forces. They have also deployed combat engineers and other troops for missions like breaching. The IDF currently has about five brigades forward deployed but not all of those are expected to move across the border, the official said.
The official stressed that the operation is intended to be limited in duration and scope, targeting Hezbollah stockpiles and weapons, including underground facilities.
Israel was planning for a larger invasion but after U.S. officials urged them to reconsider during extensive conversations over the weekend, they have decided to scale back, the administration and U.S. officials said.
But the Biden administration remains concerned the mission could expand, the administration official said, adding that President Joe Biden is still pushing for a cease-fire.
Houthis will respond to port strike 'by escalating military operations'
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
The Israeli attack on Al Hudaydah “will not deter the Yemeni people and their armed forces from performing their religious, humanitarian and moral duty towards the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples,” the statement said.
The IDF said it was targeting Houthi infrastructure to prevent the group’s ability to obtain supplies from Iran.
Displaced families crowd Beirut streets as fears of Israeli invasion grow
Families fleeing Israeli airstrikes in southern Lebanon and other areas that have been attacked are flocking to Martyr’s Square in Beirut.
NBC News’ chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel reports that many there fear what happened in Gaza will happen to them as well.
Israel informed U.S. of plans for limited operations in Lebanon, State Department says
Abigail Williams
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
Israel has informed the U.S. of their plans for limited ground operations in Lebanon focusing on infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah militant group, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said today.
“They have at this time, told us that those are limited operations focused on Hezbollah, infrastructure, near the border but we’re in continuous conversations,” Miller told reporters at a briefing.
Israel and Hezbollah have been trading fire across Lebanon's southern border since Oct. 8, the day after Hamas launched its cross-border terror attacks on Israel.
Earlier in the day, Israel's defense minister said "the next phase in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” adding that the goal was to return residents of north Israel to their homes. However, Yoav Gallant did not elaborate on what this new phase would entail.
Israel's security cabinet to meet as ground offensive looms
Reporting from Haifa, Israel
Israel's security cabinet will meet at 9 p.m. local time (2 p.m. ET) amid growing indications an Israeli ground offensive into southern Lebanon may be imminent, an Israeli official told NBC News today.
E.U. foreign ministers hold emergency meeting on Lebanon escalation
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
Foreign ministers from the European Union held an emergency meeting on Lebanon today, according to Peter Stano, lead spokesperson for the external affairs of the E.U.
The high representative of the union will give a statement shortly, Stano said.
The gathering comes days after the E.U. said that it would provide 10 million euros ($11.1 million) in aid for people in Lebanon affected by the “ongoing escalation of hostilities” between Israel and Hezbollah.
“This emergency funding aims to tackle the most urgent needs such as protection, food assistance, shelter and health care,” a statement from the E.U. said Saturday. “The E.U. stands ready to provide further support by mobilising all the available emergency response tools, including via use of the Civil Protection Mechanism.
“People in Lebanon, including refugees, were already experiencing high levels of poverty and food insecurity while having limited access to services,” the E.U. added. “Nearly 2 million Lebanese and Syrian refugees are estimated to be food insecure. This number is expected to rise further.”
Israeli defense minister says 'next phase in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon'
Mirna AlsharifMirna Alsharif is a breaking news reporter for NBC News.
The “next phase in the war against Hezbollah will begin soon,” Israel's defense minister said in a post on X today.
Yoav Gallant said the phase "will be a significant factor in achieving the goal of the war — returning the residents of the north to their homes."
He did not say what this phase would entail.
Soldiers work on tanks and armored personnel carriers in northern Israel today.Leo Correa / AP
IDF soldier 'severely injured' during combat in southern Gaza
An Israel Defense Forces soldier was “severely injured” during combat in southern Gaza, the military said in a statement today.
The soldier is from the 8108th battalion of the 679th brigade, the IDF said. The soldier was not named and the extent of the injuries are not known.
“The soldier was evacuated to a hospital for further treatment, his family was notified,” the statement added.
Lebanese PM ready to send army south of Litani River
Freddie Clayton and Ammar Cheikh Omar
Lebanon is ready to send its army south of the Litani river, the nation’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati told reporters today.
Mikati said his government was “ready to implement the 1701 agreement,” referencing a 2006 U.N. resolution that aimed to end Hezbollah’s armed presence in the south as part of an agreement to end a 34-day war with Israel.
The resolution also called for a full Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. The Litani river lies about 20 miles from Lebanon’s southern border.
“We confirm our agreement and pledge to implement the ceasefire immediately to discuss the implementation of U.N. Resolution 1701,” said Mikati.
UNRWA chief denies knowledge that suspended employee was Hamas leader in Lebanon
Reuters
The U.N. Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) chief today denied knowing that its employee Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was a Hamas commander in Lebanon and called on states to push back against Israeli attacks on the agency.
The head of Hamas’ Lebanon branch, Abu el-Amin was killed along with family members in an Israeli strike in southern Lebanon, the group said today. He was suspended from his job at UNRWA in March following allegations concerning his politics, Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.
“I never heard the word commander before,” he said. “What’s obvious for you today, was not obvious yesterday.”
'We should have a cease-fire right now,' Biden says
Reporting from Washington
There should be a cease-fire “right now,” President Joe Biden said today when asked whether he was comfortable with Israel’s plan to invade Lebanon in its fight against Hezbollah.
“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 cease-fire right now.”
Mourners gather today for the funeral of commanders of the Popular Front For the Liberation of Palestine who were killed by an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut, at a camp camp for Palestinian refugees near Tripoli, Lebanon.Fathi Al-Masri / AFP - Getty Images
Hezbollah fires Nour missile into northern Israel
Reuters
Ammar Cheikh Omar and Reuters
Hezbollah said in a statement that it fired a Nour missile at Israel, which sources familiar with the Lebanese militant group told Reuters is a ballistic missile.
The missile hit the village of Kafr Giladi in northern Israel, the statement said, adding that it had fired it in response to “Israeli violations of cities, villages, and civilians.”
It was the first time they have used the missile, the statement said.
Iran has 'no good options' to retaliate against Israel, leading analyst concludes
Ian Sherwood
Iran faces “no good options in retaliting against Israel,” following the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, according to a senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a London based think tank.
Burcu Ozcelik said in a commentary that Iran could “mobilize militia in Iraq and Syria against Israeli, U.S. and U.K. targets, but refrain from direct confrontation.”
She added that Iran could mobilize attacks from the Yemen-based Houthi militia “against sensitive targets inside Israel."
“With Hezbollah now in crisis, the Houthis may gain more operational significance. An escalation in Houthi-led harassment and attacks on commercial shipping in the Red Sea may be expected,” she said. Tehran also backs the Houthis.
Third, she said, Iran could attack Israel directly which “may salvage Iran’s credibility with its core base” inside the country but could erode the country’s “projection of military strength and cause a legitimacy crisis inside Iran.”
“If a negotiated ceasefire in Gaza was not enough of a priority before, it is even more important now. It may now be the crucial lever needed to initiate a process of de-escalation," she said.
Islamic Resistance in Iraq claims two strikes on Haifa
Freddie Clayton and Ammar Cheikh Omar
The Islamic Resistance in Iraq said in a statement today that it attacked four Israeli targets in response to Israel's attacks on Lebanon and Gaza.
It said that it attacked two “vital” targets in the Israeli port city of Haifa using drones, as well as two other unspecified targets.
NBC News has reached out to the IDF for comment.
Germany flies embassy employee families and non-essential embassy personnel out of the region
Germany has started to fly non-essential personnel and the family members of embassy employees out of Israel, Lebanon and the occupied West Bank, the country's foreign office said in a statement today.
"In view of the situation, the Federal Foreign Office raised the crisis level for the foreign missions in Beirut, Ramallah and Tel Aviv again at the weekend and initiated a diplomatic pick-up," the statement said.
"This means that the embassies remain operational, but family members of the posted employees and of German intermediary organizations as well as non-essential personnel are flying out," it added.
“The embassy continues to support the remaining Germans in Lebanon in their departure via commercial flights and other means,” it said.
Netanyahu says nowhere in Middle East out of Israel’s reach
There is nowhere in the Middle East that Israel cannot reach, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned today in comments directed at Iran, two days after Israel killed the leader of Tehran-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.
Speaking in English in a three-minute video clip released by his office, Netanyahu said he was addressing “the people of Iran.”
“There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country,” Netanyahu said.
“Don’t let a small group of fanatic theocrats crush your hopes and your dreams,” he added. “You deserve better.”
Bahrain’s king urges preservation of Lebanon's sovereignty
Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa said today that it was important to preserve Lebanon’s sovereignty and revive efforts to reach a cease-fire in Gaza.
Bahrain is home to the U.S. Navy 5th Fleet and has close ties to the U.S. It has long blamed Iran, a Muslim Shia nation, for stirring up its own majority Shia population against its Sunni monarchy.
U.S. Embassy working with airlines in Lebanon
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut said it is working with airlines to help citizens depart Lebanon by providing additional flights.
Many airlines have stopped flying to Lebanon since Israel intensified its offensive in the past fortnight.
Russia warns of 'very high' risk of regional war
The risk of a major war in the Middle East is “very high,” following the death of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters today.
Condemning Nasrallah’s death, Peskov said Russia believed it had “significantly destabilized the situation in the region.”
“Such indiscriminate bombings of residential areas in Lebanon lead to a huge amount of victims and will inevitably result in a humanitarian disaster, the same as we see in Gaza,” he said.
“We cannot ignore such consequences and we cannot help being deeply concerned over them,” he added.
Satellite images show craters left by Israeli airstrike on Nasrallah's bunker
Will Clark
Satellite images taken Aug. 25 and yesterday show the area of southern Beirut where Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli airstrike.
Planet Labs
Goal is safe return of northern communities, Israeli defense minister says
Israel is prepared to “make every effort necessary” in order to ensure the return of its northern communities, the country's defense minister said today on a visit to the border with Lebanon.
“Our goal is to ensure the [safe] return of Israel’s northern communities to their homes,” Yoav Gallant was quoted as saying in a statement. “We will use all the means that may be required — your forces, other forces, from the air, from the sea, and on land.”
The statement said Gallant was briefed about the readiness of troops for the possibility of expanding activities in the north.
Soldier killed by Israeli drone, Lebanese army says
Ammar Cheikh Omar and Freddie Clayton
A Lebanese soldier was killed by an Israeli drone, the country's army said today in a post on X.
The drone targeted a motorcycle while it was passing through an army checkpoint, the post said.
100,000 have fled Lebanon for Syria, U.N. says
More than 100,000 Lebanese nationals and Syrians living in Lebanon have crossed into Syria as they flee Israeli airstrikes, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said today.
Filippo Grandi said in a post on X that the U.N. Relief and Works Agency is present at four crossing points alongside local authorities and the Syrian Red Crescent to support new arrivals.
Separately, the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, known as UNRWA, said 1,424 people, almost half of them children, are registered at its emergency shelters in Lebanon.
Beirut strike shows 'no safe place' in Lebanon, aid worker says
Fears are growing that “no one is safe” in Lebanon after Israel’s airstrike in central Beirut, according to the executive director of a humanitarian nongovernmental organization working to support families displaced by the bombing campaign.
Humanitarian workers were “shocked” by the strike in Beirut’s Cola district, Jihan Kaisi, the Executive Director of the Union of Relief and Development Associations, or URDA, told NBC News.
“This Cola area is crowded with families, with displaced families, who came to this area thinking it’s safe,” she said. “It’s a very crowded area.” And the strike targeting the area, just a couple of miles from downtown Beirut and the city’s Zaitunay Bay, she said, showed there was “no safe place guaranteed in Lebanon.”
She added that a deadly strike in the Sidon or Saida area in southern Lebanon on Sunday, had also heightened fears in that part of the country.
Thousands of families have been sheltering there under the belief that the heavily populated area would be safe and now they don’t know where else to go, she said.
Some families have been forced to sleep on the streets, in playgrounds and in parking lots after makeshift shelters set up in schools became too overcrowded, she added.
“It’s getting cold at night,” she said. “Imagine, children without any blanket at night. Imagine what is happening... what they will go through.”
She said many people had expressed fears that Lebanon could soon become like Gaza. “There’s talk that Lebanon might face the same situation,” she said. “So, yes they are talking about that. Families are scared.”
'Stay alert, Stay ready,' IDF warns people in northern Israel
People should be ready to seek shelter because Israel’s air defense is “not impenetrable,” according to the Commanding Officer of the Home Front Command in Northern Israel.
“When you hear an alert, immediately enter a sheltered space,” Rafi Milo said on a visit to the region last night. “If you don’t have access to a sheltered space, choose the safest space available and enter it — this saves lives. Stay alert, stay ready, and follow the instructions.”
French foreign minister travels to Beirut after two nationals killed
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called for an “immediate” end to Israeli airstrikes after he arrived in Lebanon yesterday with a delivery of humanitarian aid.
“We will always stand by the civilians,” he said in a post on X, adding that he had brought 12 tons of medical equipment to be used to treat 1,000 seriously injured people.
As Barrot arrived, his ministry announced that a second French person had been killed in Lebanon. It did not provide further details.
Last week, an 87-year-old Frenchwoman was killed after “a strong explosion” in the south of the country.
Nasrallah killing was Israeli self-defense, Germany says
Reuters
Israel’s killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in a powerful airstrike in Beirut constituted a use of its right to defend itself, a German foreign ministry spokesperson said today.
“Hezbollah is of course a terrorist organization and it was obviously a meeting of the top leadership of Hezbollah, from which one can assume, even from a distance, that they were planning their further operations,” the spokesperson said.
“So in this respect, there are also reasons to believe that the right to self-defense was exercised here,” he added.
Asked about the civilian deaths in the incident, the spokesperson said “every civilian victim is one civilian victim too many.”
Israeli special forces teams carrying out operations in Lebanon
Reporting from HAIFA, Israel
Israel has been launching small special forces operations into southern Lebanon ahead of a potential ground offensive, an Israeli official told NBC News.
The operations are designed to gather intelligence and probe Hezbollah’s positions. The official cautioned that such operations have been going on for months and do not necessarily signal the imminent start of a ground assault
Hezbollah says it is ready for 'ground encounter'
Freddie Clayton and Ammar Cheikh Omar
The deputy secretary general of Hezbollah, Naim Qassem, said the militant group is "ready for the enemy to enter by land" during a pre-recorded message televised today.
Qassem said that Hezbollah would "not budge an inch" in supporting Gaza and Palestine, and that the group would emerge victorious "just as we did in 2006," recalling the 34-day conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
People watch a televised speech by Hezbollah's deputy chief Naim Qassem in a cafe in Beirut's southern suburbs.Ibrahim Amro / AFP - Getty Images
It’s the first major public comment from Hezbollah since its leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed by an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last week.
Qassem said the group will choose Nasrallah's replacement "as soon as possible."
Israel confirms it killed Hamas leader in Lebanon
Freddie Clayton and Yarden Segev
The IDF and Israel Security Agency issued a joint statement today saying they had killed Hamas' leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu Al-Amin.
The statement said the Israeli air forces struck Al-Amin overnight.
Earlier, Hamas said the leader and his family were killed in an Israeli airstrike at their home in southern Lebanon.
Photos show aftermath of Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburbs
Iran will not leave Israel’s ‘criminal acts’ unanswered, says foreign ministry
Reuters
Iran will not leave any of “the criminal acts” of Israel unanswered, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said this morning, after the killing of Hezbollah’s chief and an Iranian Revolutionary Guard deputy commander in Lebanon.
Brigadier General Abbas Nilforoushan was also killed in Israeli strikes on Beirut on Friday.
“We stand strongly and we will act in a way that is regretful [for the enemy],” Kanaani told a weekly news conference, adding that Iran does not seek war but is not afraid of it.
Senior Hezbollah official to give first speech since Nasrallah killing
The deputy secretary general of Hezbollah, Naem Qassem, is set to make a speech shortly.
It's the first major public comment from the militant group since the killing of former longtime leader Hassan Nasrallah in an Israeli attack. The Iran-backed group has yet to announce his replacement.
PFLP says three leaders killed in Israeli strike
Freddie Clayton and Ammar Cheikh Omar
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has said that three of its leaders were killed in an Israeli airstrike on central Beirut's Cola district.
It listed Mohammed Abdel Aal, Emad Odeh, and Abdel Rahman Abdel Aal among the deceased.
The leftist PFLP is designated a terrorist group by the U.S., but it is also a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization, a coalition recognized by the United Nations as the official representative of the Palestinians.
Israeli officials are yet to comment on the strike on the Cola district.
Apparent Israeli strike hits central Beirut for first time
An apparent Israeli airstrike struck a building in the central Beirut neighborhood of Cola last night, according to videos posted to social media.
The videos, geolocated by NBC News, show damage to the multistory building as debris is seen on the ground below. People are also seen gathering around the structure as multiple ambulances converge on the area.
AFP - Getty Images
It was not immediately clear whether there were deaths or injuries related to the reported strike, nor was it clear that the strike was intentionally aimed at Cola.
Cola, a stone’s throw from downtown Beirut, is known as a busy neighborhood and is the location of a bus station. This would be the first Israeli strike on the heart of the Lebanese capital during this round of conflict.
Catch up with our latest coverage
Hamas says its leader in Lebanon killed in strike
Hamas says Fateh Sherif Abu Al-Amin, the group’s leader in Lebanon, has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in the country's south.
In a statement posted on Telegram, the Palestinian militant group said Al-Amin was killed alongside his wife and children "in their home in the (Al-Bas) camp."
While Hamas is based in Gaza, it has long had a presence in Lebanon.