Israel launches 'targeted' ground invasion against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon
ITV News has the latest on Israel's ongoing ground invasion of Lebanon
The Israeli military has entered southern Lebanon, launching a "targeted ground operation" against Hezbollah
The US said Israel's attacks were "limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border"
Israel has created military zones in several northern communities along its border
Benjamin Netanyahu has warned Israel's enemies there is "nowhere" in the Middle East they cannot reach
Hezbollah has vowed to keep on fighting despite the assassination of its top leadership
Israeli troops have entered southern Lebanon in what the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) called "limited, localised and targeted raids against Hezbollah terror targets".
In a statement, the IDF said the targets "are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel".
Nearly two dozen Lebanese communities close to the Israeli border have been ordered to evacuate by the Israeli military.
Meanwhile, a Hezbollah spokesperson said the militant's group fighters are ready for a "direct confrontation" with Israeli troops.
No clashes with Hezbollah fighters on the ground have so far been confirmed by the IDF.
The invasion comes after the Israeli security cabinet approved the next phase of its operation in Lebanon.
Incursion into Lebanon
On Tuesday, the IDF warned in a post in Arabic on social media platform X that multiple communities in southern Lebanon should evacuate north of the Awali River, around 60 kilometers (36 miles) from the border.
Israeli media reported the launch of the "operation" on Monday night, as further strikes deep into Lebanon were carried out and military raids across the border began.
"The Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area," the IDF said in a statement.
It added there would be "no long-term occupation", but officials declined to say how deep Israeli troops would move into Lebanese territory.
US officials say Israel has informed them they have launched raids into Lebanon and declared three of its northern communities as a "closed military zone".
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller described the attacks as "limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border."
Israel has restricted movement along its border regulating entry and exit from the northern communities of Metula, Misgav Am and Kfar Giladi Areas.
Its army had been heavily bolstered forces along the border with Lebanon in recent days.
Red Sea attacks
Meanwhile, an unmanned boat laden with explosives crashed into a ship in the Red Sea on Tuesday, marking the first attack on commercial shipping in the region in weeks.
No-one has taken responsibility, but Yemen's Houthi rebels are believed to be behind the blast.
Strikes in Syria
According to Syrian state media, a military source said three civilians were killed and nine were wounded on an Israeli airstrike in Damascus on Tuesday.
Hezbollah was involved in Syria's civil war, which erupted in 2011. The militant group sided with President Bashar Assad's forces.
Strikes in Gaza
At least seven people, including at least one child, have been killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis, according to local media.
Hezbollah's response
Amid Israel's ground incursion, Hezbollah launched rockets at central Israel, setting off air raid sirens and wounding one person, according to the IDF.
The Israeli military also said Hezbollah had launched projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without wounding anyone.
Hezbollah said it fired salvos of a new kind of medium-range missile, called the Fadi 4, at the headquarters of two Israeli intelligence agencies near Tel Aviv.
Following the killing of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah after the Israeli military bombed high-rise buildings in the southern suburbs of Beirut, the group has vowed to keep on fighting.
Deputy leader Naim Kassem, in his first speech since their leader's death was announced, said Hezbollah were ready if Israel launched a ground offensive into Lebanon.
In a televised address following the deaths of many within Hezbollah's top chain of command, he said: "Israel was not able to affect our (military) capabilities.
“There are deputy commanders and there are replacements in case a commander is wounded in any post.”
Over the past week, Israel has killed seven high-ranking Hezbollah commanders and officials. Iran, Hezbollah’s main backer and sponsor, has vowed to retaliate.
Nasrallah, who led Hezbollah for 32 years, was killed in a strike on its headquarters in the southern suburbs of Beirut on Friday.
As deputy secretary-general, Kassem will be the militant group's acting leader until a replacement for Nasrallah is chosen.
Strikes on Beirut
Israel carried out attacks on central Beirut on Monday, after a weekend of dramatic missile strikes against its enemies in the Middle East - including in other parts of Lebanon and Yemen.
Monday morning's strike, which hit an apartment block and killed at least one person, marks the first time Israel has targeted the centre of Beirut since the recent conflict began on October 7.
Recent attacks have centred on the city's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence.
The UK government's response
The government has chartered a commercial plane out of Lebanon for British nationals wanting to flee the country, amid escalation of Israel's military offensive. The flight will leave on Wednesday.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave on Tuesday, and said: "We cannot guarantee we will be able to get people out in speedy fashion. I urge people again to leave."
Lammy also stressed the need for an urgent ceasefire to avoid further regional escalation, urging restraint from Iran.
"None of us want a return to the years in which Israel found itself bogged down in a quagmire in southern Lebanon and pitched battles between Israeli soldiers and of course the Lebanese side," he said.
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