Israel-Hezbollah latest: Israeli forces ‘conducting Lebanon raids’ ahead of possible full ground invasion
Defence minister tells troops near border that Israel ‘will use all the forces from the air, sea and land’ as an airstrike hits Beirut for the first time in 18 years
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Israeli special forces are said to be conducting small-group raids into southern Lebanon to gather intelligence on Hezbollah positions, with Israel’s defence minister hinting at a ground invasion.
Yoav Gallant was quoted by Iasraeli media as telling armoured corps troops near the Lebanon border: “To return the resident of the north safely to their homes we will activate all our capabilities - including you.”
"We will use all the forces from the air, sea and land," he added.
It comes as the deputy leader of Hezbollah vowed to be ready for an Israeli invasion.
In his first speech since Israel killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah over the weekend, the group’s deputy chief Naim Qassem said he was confident Hezbollah could push Israeliforces back like during the war in 2006.
“We are confident the Israeli enemy will not achieve its aims,” Qassem said. “We will confront any possibility and are ready if Israel decides to enter by land.”
Israel intensified its airstrikes on Monday, hitting central Beirut for the first time since 2006, while also killing Hamas’s leader in Lebanon in the southern city of Tyre.
Hezbollah deputy leader speaks for first time since Nasrallah death
Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem is giving his first public address since the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in a series of Israeli strikes over the weekend.
He has vowed that Hezbollah will defeat Israel and that they are ready to go to war.
Sound of explosions heard on outskirts of Damascus, say witnesses
Sounds of explosions were heard on the outskirts of the Syrian capital Damascus on Monday, witnesses told Reuters.
Iran will not leave Israel's 'criminal' acts unanswered, says foreign ministry
Iran will not leave any of ‘the criminal acts’ of Israel unanswered, Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani said in a weekly news conference on Monday, referring to the killing of Hezbollah’s chief and Iranian Guard deputy commander in Lebanon.
Israel posts footage of planes refuelling during Houthi attacks
The Israeli military has posted footage of its planes refuelling while on route to attacks on the Houthi militia in Yemen.
Earlier, we reported that dozens of its aircraft struck Houthi targets in Yemen in response to a recent attack on Israel.
The military said it targeted power plants and sea port facilities in the city of Hodeida.
The Houthis launched a ballistic missile attack on Ben Gurion airport on Saturday when prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu was arriving.
Hezbollah faces ‘existential moment’ after Nasrallah’s death
Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa programme at Chatham House, said that Israel has been closely monitoring Hezbollah and its leader Hassan Nasrallah since the 2006 war, enabling them to eliminate many key figures within the group.
Vakil described this as a critical junction for Hezbollah. “This is why this is such an existential moment for the group.”
Sources told Middle East Eye that while Hezbollah typically replaces its commanders quickly, Nasrallah’s cousin, Hachem Safieddine, has been groomed for leadership.
“Over the years, Nasrallah put Safieddine on the path to prepare him to take the helm. But this remains to be seen as Safieddine’s name was circulating among those who were killed in Friday’s strike,” the source was quoted as saying.
Deputy chief of Lebanon's Hezbollah to give speech, first since Nasrallah's killing
The deputy chief of Lebanon’s armed group Hezbollah is due to give an address imminently, the group’s media office have said.
It is the first address by a Hezbollah official since the killing of the group’s secretary general in an Israeli air attack on Friday.
The media office originally reported the speech would take place at 12 pm local time, 9am GMT.
Kirby says Israeli strikes ‘nearly decimated’ Hezbollah command structure
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said that Israel’s airstrikes in Lebanon have “nearly decimated” Hezbollah’s command structure, though he cautioned that the group will likely rebuild it swiftly.
He told ABC: “There’s no question that the Hezbollah of today is not the Hezbollah that was even just a week ago.”
But he warned that “somebody will be anointed” to take Hassan Nasrallah’s place.
Israel confirmed that the Hezbollah leader was killed in a strike on Beirut on Friday.
“We’re watching this very, very closely to see how, if and how, Hezbollah and / or Iran may react as well as the militia groups in Iraq and Syria. We have to be prepared for some sort of response. We have to make sure that we are ready, and we are. We believe we have the force capability we need in the region, but it’s not clear right now, it’s too soon to know how Iran’s going to react to this,” Mr Kirby said.
Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel strikes central Beirut for first time in 18 years as death toll passes 1,000
In photos: Israeli air strike on central Beirut
Smoke rises from Beirut's southern suburbs after suspected strike, witness
Smoke is rising from Beirut’s southern suburbs after a suspected Israeli strike, witness have told Reuters.
Lebanese media have suggsted the smoke this is the result of the collapse of a building, rather than an airstrike.
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