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By Lilith Foster-Collins, Tom O'Connor, and Michael D. Carroll
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The Israeli military says Iran has fired missiles at Israel, and air raid sirens are sounding across the country.
Residents were ordered to shelter in place and remain close to bomb shelters.
Israel has warned there would be "repercussions" if Iran attacks.
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The IDF has been battling Hamas in Gaza since the Palestinian group launched a massive multi-faceted attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. A day later, Hezbollah began launching cross-border strikes against Israel and clashes between the two have reached their worst level since their last war in July 2006, sparking fears of an even greater confrontation and potential Iranian intervention.
"Our aerial defense systems are fully prepared, and Israeli Air Force aircraft are currently patrolling the skies," IDF spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said in video remarks shared with Newsweek. "However, the defense is not hermetic, and therefore, it is essential to continue following the Home Front Command's instructions."
"We are at peak readiness on both offense and defense," he added. "We are on high alert alongside our partners in the United States, our ally, and are closely monitoring developments in Iran."
The IDF had also announced the evacuation of two dozen Lebanese border communities as the Israeli military conducted "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids" against Hezbollah in Lebanon. Tens of thousands of people have fled the fighting on both sides of the border and around a million people have been displaced in Lebanon due to concerns over Israeli strikes and the threat of invasion.
Newsweek has reached out to the Iranian Mission to the United Nations and the White House for comment.
The statement provided by the senior White House official did not provide evidence supporting their intelligence assessment, though an administration official expressed confidence in the conclusion.
Iran, which supports Hamas and Hezbollah, has repeatedly threatened to exact revenge against Israel over the unclaimed killing of Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran in late July.
Iranian officials have also warned Israel after a number of other unclaimed operations, including a wave of blasts that affected communications primarily used by Hezbollah in Lebanon and parts of Syria, killing dozens and wounding thousands, including Tehran's ambassador to Beirut, as well as high-profile assassinations, including that of Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah last Friday.
In April, Iran launched an unprecedented direct strike on Israel, which reported a high interception rate backed by its ally, the United States, and a number of other countries, including France and Jordan. Then too, reports of an incoming strike were widely circulated prior to the launch.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a Tuesday statement that Israel is facing "large challenges" as it fights an Iran and its network of regional allies, referred to as the Axis of Resistance. In the videotaped statement, he also urged the public to listen to public safety guidelines from the army's Home Front Command. He made no direct mention of a missile threat.
Footage shows Israel special forces inside Lebanon
The Israeli military has for the first time released video footage showing its special forces troops operating inside Hezbollah tunnels and attacking weapons bases across the border in southern Lebanon.
The footage was taken over the last 12 months, but the covert operations were declassified by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) for the first time on Tuesday afternoon just hours after it announced it had launched a "limited, targeted" ground incursion overnight.
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Mossad HQ targeted
Hezbollah has claimed it targeted the headquarters of Mossad intelligence agency as a response to Israel's ground invasion of southern Lebanon.
Reports state the Lebanese militant group fired "Fadi-4" missiles at the Glilot Base near Herzliya, and missed the IDF's military intelligence unit and Mossad headquarters.
According to the Magen David Adom ambulance service within Israel a road has been blocked after it was hit by a rocket. The ambulance service said it treated two people at the scene including a bus driver who was hit by shrapnel, and another motorist.
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Russia condemns attack
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned Israel's "attack on Lebanon," and warns against the risk of further escalation in violence across the region.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the Kremlin called on Israeli authorities to "immediately cease hostilities, withdraw troops from Lebanese territory and engage in a genuine search for peaceful ways to resolve the Middle East conflict."
It also said it supported "the leadership and people of friendly Lebanon."
Ground clashes denied
Reuters has reported the head of Hezbollah's media office, Mohammad Afif as stating on Tuesday morning that no Israeli troops had entered Lebanese territory. In a written statement Afif said Hezbollah had not engaged in "direct ground clashes" with Israeli troops, but that it would be ready to do so.
According to NBC, an unnamed Israeli security official confirmed around the same time as Afif released his statement that Israeli troops are yet to clash with any Hezbollah forces. The official said the troops remained "within walking distance" of the border.
"I can tell you this is not numbers of a large ground invasion," he is reported to have said. "These local raids we're doing, are very limited and in scope and in the area of operating. So at the moment, no clashes."
Lebanon's caretaker PM appeals for aid
Caretaker prime minister Najib Mikati has met with U.N. organizations and ambassadors of donor countries according to Lebanon's National News Agency.
It quotes Mikati as saying "We meet today at a time when Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous stages in its history, as about one million of our people have been displaced due to the devastating war waged by Israel on Lebanon."
He continued "we are working diligently in cooperation with the U.N. institutions to secure the basic needs of the displaced Lebanese, as we have done during all the difficult stages that Lebanon has gone through … today, we urgently appeal for more support to enhance our ongoing efforts to provide essential assistance to displaced civilians."
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Israel declares ground operation
The Israel Defense Forces launched the beginning of a "limited, localized" operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah early on Tuesday.
The IDF have stated their intention to carry out "targeted ground raids" in villages close to the Israeli border, targets which are said to pose an "immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."
Israel and Hezbollah have traded fire across the Lebanon border almost daily since Oct. 8 last year. There were reports from journalists in Tel Aviv on X (formerly Twitter) of projectiles being intercepted in the city and elsewhere in central Israel on Tuesday morning.
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South Lebanon evacuation order
The Associated Press filed a report on Tuesday stating the Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of 30 Lebanese villages near its border. Residents have been ordered to travel 35 miles north to the Awali river.
The midday announcement came after the Israelis told residents not to move southward past the Litani river, about 20 miles away from the line that separates Lebanon and Israel.
Peacekeepers warned
Reuters is reporting that the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, announced on Tuesday that the IDF had provided advanced warning of its intention to undertake "limited ground incursions."
According to the report, Unifil said that despite the developments in Lebanon, peacekeepers remained in position.
IDF human shield warning
The Israeli military has advised Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon to refrain from driving vehicles in areas south of the Litani River until further notice.
"There is intense fighting in southern Lebanon, in which Hezbollah operatives are using the civilian environment and you as a human shield to organize to carry out attacks," Colonel Avichay Adraee, the IDF spokesman, posted on X in Arabic as reported in English by Azerbaijani news agency news.az.
"For your safety, we ask you to avoid movement in vehicles from the north to the south of the Litani River. This warning is valid until further notice," he is further reported to have said.
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Lebanon PM speaks out
According to an AFP report, Lebanon's prime minister said Tuesday his country was facing "one of the most dangerous phases of its history," and he urged the United Nations to provide aid for one million people currently displaced by Israeli airstrikes.
"Around a million of our people have been displaced because of the devastating war that Israel is waging on Lebanon. We urgently call for more aid to reinforce our ongoing efforts to provide basic support to displaced civilians," he added in a meeting with U.N. representatives.
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U.N. Statement
UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has released a statement on the situation in Lebanon.
She said "I am deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon. Over the last week, at least 80 children have reportedly been killed in attacks, while hundreds more have been injured. According to Government reports, the number of people internally displaced by the violence has spiked to more than 1 million—including over 300,000 children."
"Thousands of children and families are now living in the streets or in shelters; many having fled their homes without essential supplies and belongings. Humanitarian conditions are growing worse by the hour … UNICEF continues to call for an urgent cessation of hostilities."
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