Israel Defence Forces spokesman Avichay Adraee told Lebanese citizens to flee north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometres (36 miles) from the border
The Israeli military has warned the residents of more than two dozen Lebanese border communities to immediately evacuate their homes after announcing the start of ground operations against Hezbollah.
'Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases ready for an attack on Israel,' he said. Air raid sirens sounded across northern and central Israel this morning as air defence systems sprang into action to down the Hezbollah rockets - but some projectiles appeared to sneak through.
A displaced child sleeps at a makeshift encampment where scores of displaced people live, amid cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, at a beach in Beirut, Lebanon, October 1, 2024 Smoke seeps out from building rubble at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Laylaki neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 1, 2024
The Israeli military said their ground operations in Lebanon began in earnest on Monday night and involved the elite 98th division, which was deployed to the northern front two weeks ago from Gaza where they had been fighting against Hamas for months. But Rear Admiral Hagari added this afternoon that IDF special forces units had been conducting small scale raids to destroy Hezbollah tunnels along the border ever since October 7.
'This will enable the continuation of operational activity against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation and the achievement of operational goals, including the safe return of the residents of northern Israel to their homes,' the army said in a statement. A general view shows damaged buildings, in the aftermath of Israeli strikes on Beirut's southern suburbs, Lebanon October 1, 2024
A picture shows a view of the destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Laylaki neighbourhood in Beirut's southern suburbs on October 1, 2024 Many observers dismissed this as a propaganda tactic, but no videos or photos of Israeli troops in Lebanon had emerged at the time of writing.It successfully pulled off a ruthless covert operation that saw thousands of rigged communication devices explode in the hands of Hezbollah members, and proceeded to launch a devastating campaign of airstrikes.
The IDF said that its incursion, dubbed 'Operation Northern Arrows', will continue 'according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas'. Lebanon's prime minister meanwhile said his country was facing 'one of the most dangerous phases of its history', urging the United Nations to provide aid for one million people displaced by Israeli air strikes.
Residents and rescue teams inspect the damage following an overnight Israeli airstrike on the Ain al-Helweh camp for Palestinian refugees on the outskirts of the southern port city of Sidon early on October 1, 2024 Israeli tanks and APC's gather by the Israeli - Lebanese border on September 30 before the ground invasion
An overnight Israeli strike in Lebanon targeted Mounir Maqdah, commander of the Lebanese branch of the Palestinian Fatah movement's military wing, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, according to two Palestinian security officials. '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.
A picture taken from northern Israel, along the border with southern Lebanon, shows a fire following Israeli bombardment on an area of south LebanonThis photo released on Sept. 30, 2024 shows an Israeli soldier stationed on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border 'Notwithstanding that we sent a rapid response team. 700 troops are in Cyprus. We will do all we can to assist people to get out.
The UK Government has chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for Britons wanting to leave amid escalating violence.
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