Middle East crisis live: Iran prepares to launch ballistic missile attack on Israel ‘imminently’, US official warns | Lebanon

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

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

Hezbollah, the Lebanese militant group backed by Iran, claims to have launched missiles towards Sde Dov Air Base on the outskirts of the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, Reuters reported in a snap alert.

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 “serious consequences” if that happens. White House officials did not immediately provide any evidence supporting the intelligence findings.

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 sound of strikes heard across the city and two plumes of smoke emanating from Dahieh. A low-flying drone was heard flying over Beirut and Dahieh for at least an hour before the strikes, the target of which was unclear.

The IDF announced in a Telegram message that the IDF was calling up “four additional reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena.”

• The Israeli army has launched what it calls a “limited, localized and targeted” ground operation against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, while continuing to bombard areas near the border and carrying out airstrikes on the capital , Beirut.

• The Israeli military spokesperson ordered residents of around 30 border villages in southern Lebanon to evacuate. Earlier, an IDF spokesperson said 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 in Lebanon and Hezbollah.

• Israeli military spokesman Daniel Hagari said Israel would do “whatever is necessary” to prevent an October 7-style attack from happening again on “any of our borders.” He claimed that Hezbollah had transformed Lebanese villages near Israeli villages on the UN blue line into military bases from which to launch an attack.

• The Lebanese government said around 1,000 people were killed, around 6,000 injured and a million people displaced following Israeli attacks in recent days. The Israeli army claims to target Hezbollah and terrorist infrastructure. Local residents told Reuters that at least 600 people had taken shelter in a monastery on the Israeli-Lebanese border as airstrikes continued.

• Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati appealed for more international aid, saying “Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history, as around a million of our citizens have been displaced due to the devastating war waged by Israel in Lebanon.

• Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares said Israel should end the operation. Spain currently commands the UN peacekeeping force, Unifil, in Lebanon, which said it had been warned by the Israelis of its plans. Türkiye And Russia also condemned Israel’s decision to open a new land front in its conflict. Turkey said it was an illegal occupation attempt that violated Lebanon’s territorial integrity.

• One of UN‘s social media accounts were posted to remind members that Article 2.4 of the United Nations Charter states that “All members shall refrain, in their international relations, from the threat or use of force against territorial integrity or political independence of any State.”

• Poland said it would limit the number of employees at its embassy in Beirut. THE UNITED KINGDOM The government has chartered a plane to bring back Britons wishing to return to the United Kingdom. A helicopter carrier France will arrive in the Eastern Mediterranean in the next five to six days and will take a position in case a decision is made to evacuate foreign nationals

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

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

• At least 41,638 Palestinians have been killed and 96,460 injured in Israeli strikes on Gaza since October 7. the Gaza Health Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday. The toll includes 23 people killed in the last 24 hours, according to the ministry.

• THE Palestinian Red Crescent Society reports that two of its collaborators were hit with live ammunition by Israeli security forces at the entrance to the Balata camp in Nablus while trying to transport an injured person. A Palestinian was killed by Israeli forces in Nablus, while Israeli media reported that four members of the security forces were injured.

• from Yemen Houthis The movement targeted Israeli military posts Tel Aviv And Eilat with drones on Tuesday, the group’s military spokesman, Yahya Saree, said in a televised address. There were also reports of a vessel being targeted in the Red Sea

Israeli forces have been carrying out raids in southern Lebanon for months, discovering Hezbollah tunnels and weapons caches under homes, as well as invasion plans by the militant group, the militant group’s spokesman said. Israeli army, according to Reuters.

Daniel Hagari said the details were 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’ll bring you more information on Hagari’s comments as soon as we have more information about them.

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

The drone strikes hit two radar stations west of the city of Souedaincluding one located at an air base in the region, the two military sources told Reuters, while another hit a radar station in the neighboring region. Deraa province. They are part of the Syrian army’s air defense in the southern region, the sources said.

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

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