Israel claims Hezbollah commander killed in missile bombardment on Lebanon
The death toll continues to rise in Lebanon as tens of thousands of people have been forced to flee, as ITV News' International Editor Emma Murphy reports
The Israeli military says it has killed a top commander of Hezbollah's missile and rocket unit in a strike in Beirut.
Military officials said Ibrahim Kobeisi, who they claim was responsible for launches towards Israel, was killed on Tuesday.
The military said "other key commanders" were with Kobeisi at the time of the strike, but did not confirm whether any of the others were killed or wounded. Hezbollah has not yet confirmed whether Kobeisi was killed.
It comes as tens of thousands are fleeing from southern Lebanon to escape the violence, as Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire.
Over the past two days, Israel has launched hundreds of airstrikes in southern and eastern Lebanon, with the death toll rising to 558 people, according to the Lebanese health minister.
Health Minister Firass Abiad told reporters 1,835 people have also been wounded since early on Monday.
The UK has sent a number of troops to a base in Cyprus where they'll be on standby should the situation escalate, ITV News understands.
Defence Secretary John Healey reiterates advice for British people abroad in Lebanon
Earlier on Tuesday, Defence Secretary John Healey left the Labour conference to chair a Cobra meeting on the escalating conflict.
Sir Keir Starmer has called for de-escalation between Lebanon and Israel and a ceasefire in Gaza.
The prime minister also told the Labour Party conference: “I call again for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, the return of the hostages, and a recommitment to the two-state solution, a recognised Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel.
“And that’s the message I will take to the UN General Assembly when I travel there later today, alongside our steadfast support for Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.”
If evacuation orders are called in Lebanon, commercial flights will be the first point of call. But, ITV News understands the UK government has also discussed the option of evacuation via sea
It comes as an Israeli airstrike hit a building in a southern suburb of Beirut on Tuesday afternoon, a Hezbollah-run television station reported.
The bombardment has sparked a mass exodus away from the violence which brought the main highway into Beirut to a standstill.
Meanwhile, hotels in the capital were quickly booked to capacity while others offered up empty apartments or rooms in their houses, according to social media posts.
One Lebanese NGO said more than 100,000 people had been displaced. Families who fled their homes slept in shelters in Beirut schools, and in cars, parks or along the sea.
Issa Baydoun and his family fled his village, Shihine, in southern Lebanon after it was bombed, and drove to Beirut.
“We struggled a lot on the road just to get here,” he said.
“We evacuated our homes because Israel is targeting civilians and attacking them,” he said, rejecting Israel's claim that it only hits military targets.
“That’s why we left our homes, to protect our children.”
In the eastern city of Baalbek, the state-run National News Agency reported that lines formed at bakeries and petrol stations as residents rushed to stock up on essential supplies in anticipation of another round of strikes on Tuesday.
The Israeli Defence Force called for people in Lebanon to "immediately" evacuate homes and other buildings where Hezbollah stores weapons following a heavy exchange of fire over the weekend.
Israel maintains it conducts "precise strikes" on "Hezbollah targets" to "remover immediate threats" against Israel.
Airlines from across the world have cancelled flights to Lebanon over the ongoing cross-border fire.
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Overnight, Israel’s military said that 55 rockets were fired from Lebanon into the north of the country, with some setting fires and damaging buildings.
Rocket sirens blared throughout the morning in the country’s north.
Video circulating on Israeli media showed explosions on the highway, with drivers pulling over and lying on the ground next to their vehicles.
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