BEIRUT — The Lebanese Hezbollah militant group says media published by the Israeli military showing its cross-border forays into Lebanon have nothing to do with the ongoing conflict.

The Israeli military says its army has been carrying out secretive ground operations to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanese villages close to the border for the past year and has released footage of what it said was Israeli soldiers uncovering tunnels and weapons in Lebanese villages.

Hezbollah said in a statement Tuesday that picture and videos that the Israeli military says show tunnels and houses entered by Israeli soldiers are “very old and have no relationship to any current military action on the Lebanese border.”

It says the images are part of a “psychological and propaganda war.”

The Israeli military has said its forces entered Lebanon overnight to begin a “limited” ground incursion. Hezbollah denies that any Israeli troops have crossed the border.

Israel’s airport authority says the country’s airspace has been closed and incoming flights are being diverted to airports outside the country.

The airspace closure Tuesday followed an Israeli military announcement that Iran had launched missiles at the country. It warned Israelis to take shelter as air raid sirens sounded, and explosions could be heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem.

Iran said it launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hezbollah and Hamas leaders.

BEIRUT — Israel’s military says it killed a senior Hezbollah operative in an airstrike on an apartment building on the edge of Beirut.

The Israeli military says Mohammed Jaafar Qassir was killed in a strike Tuesday afternoon. It says Qassir was in charge of Hezbollah’s Unit 4400 that ships weapons from Iran to Lebanon and he supervised Hezbollah’s development of precision-guided missiles.

The Israeli military said Qassir also sent hundreds of millions of dollars to Hezbollah in recent years.

There was no immediate comment from Hezbollah on the Israeli claim.

Qassir’s brother Ahmad carried out a suicide attack in southern Israeli port city of Tyre in 1982 that killed dozens of Israeli soldiers. His death is marked annually as “Martyr’s Day.”

Iran says it has launched dozens of ballistic missiles at Israel.

The claim came in a statement read aloud on state television Tuesday as air raid sirens sounded and explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem.

The statement warned that “if Israel responds militarily to this operation, it will face a harsher response.”

JERUSALEM — The Israeli military says Iran has fired missiles at Israel, and air raid sirens are sounding across the country.

Military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari released a video statement Tuesday saying “the air defense system is fully operational, detecting and intercepting threats wherever necessary, even at this moment.”

Soon after, a series of explosions were heard in Tel Aviv and near Jerusalem. It was not immediately known if they were interceptions or incoming missiles landing. The explosions near Jerusalem were so loud that windows shook.

Residents were ordered to shelter in place and remain close to bomb shelters. The order was sent to mobile phones and announced on national television. TV stations reported sirens in parts of Jerusalem as well as central Israel.

Iranian media posted videos that appeared to show missile launches at several sites across the country, but the Iranian government did not immediately acknowledge what was happening.

The alerts were sounded after a day of rocket and missile attacks from Lebanon. Israeli authorities also warned that Iran might be preparing a missile attack.

Israel has warned there would be “repercussions” if Iran attacks.

The Israeli military is urging the public to stay close to sheltered areas and says it takes seriously the possibility of an attack by Iran.

Military spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday that Israelis must obey public safety guidelines issued by the military’s Home Front Command.

“The Iranian strike could be widespread. Following Home Front Command guidelines can save lives,” Hagari said.

WASHINGTON — A U.S. official has said Iran may strike Israel within the next 12 hours, with an attack that could be as big as or bigger than strikes earlier this year.

However, the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to provide details on a sensitive matter, cautioned that Iran has been postured to conduct such an attack since August – in order to be able to strike on short notice – and that the U.S. has not seen significant changes in Iran’s posture in the last day or so.

Iran launched an unprecedented direct attack on Israel in April, but few of its projectiles reached their targets. Many were shot down by a U.S.-led coalition, while others apparently failed at launch or crashed in flight.

UNITED NATIONS — The United Nations chief is appealing for an immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, warning that escalation to an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah militants must be avoided “at all costs.”

U.N. spokesperson Stephane Dujarric, who delivered the message from Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, stressed that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Lebanon must be respected.

Guterres spoke earlier Tuesday to Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati and told him the U.N. system is mobilized to assist those in need, Dujarric said. He also appealed to the international community to urgently support a $426 million humanitarian appeal to help the people of Lebanon.

ANKARA, Turkey — Turkey’s Foreign Ministry has established a coordination center to assist citizens wishing to leave Lebanon, warning that the situation there could worsen.

Turkey has developed evacuation plans by sea and air, the ministry said. It did not elaborate.

Nearly 20 countries have requested Turkey’s assistance in evacuating their citizens, by using Turkish ports, airports and airspace, or by including their citizens in Turkey’s evacuation plans, the ministry said.

WASHINGTON — The State Department has ordered all U.S. diplomats and their families based in Israel and the West Bank to shelter in place until further notice as the security situation becomes increasingly uncertain with Israel’s ground incursion in Lebanon and potential threats of an Iranian missile attack.

“As a result of the current security situation, the U.S. Embassy has directed all U.S. government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice,” the embassy in Jerusalem said Tuesday in a notice to American citizens.

“This is provided for your information as you make your own security plans,” it said. “The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events.”

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken says the Biden administration is watching the situation between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon “very closely” and “very carefully” but is committed to Israel’s defense and security.

Speaking Tuesday before talks with the visiting foreign minister of Morocco, Blinken did not address the threat to Israel posed by a potential Iranian ballistic missile launch that was identified by the White House shortly before he spoke.

“The United States is committed to Israel’s defense,” he said. “We’re watching developments, as I said, very carefully at this moment.”

An Israeli airstrike struck a residential building near the Lebanese capital Beirut on Tuesday, causing damage and blowing out windows in the area.

The strike appeared to hit an apartment in the building on the southern highway leading up to Beirut international airport, and about 100 meters (yards) from the Iranian Embassy.

The Israeli military said it carried out an attack in Beirut, without giving further details.
There was no immediate word on casualties.

A Bulgarian government jet left for Beirut for the second day to pick up the remaining Bulgarian citizens who wanted to be evacuated, the prime minister said Tuesday.

Dimitar Glavchev said 61 Bulgarians had asked to be evacuated on the second trip. A total of 89 people, mostly families with children, were evacuated from Lebanon on Monday.

Glavchev said that empty seats on Tuesday’s flight will be offered to citizens of other EU countries.

Speaking out against Israel’s ground offensive in southern Lebanon, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan claimed on Tuesday that Israel would “set its sights” on Turkey next.

In a speech marking the opening of parliament following its summer recess, Erdogan criticized both the international community and the Islamic world for failing to stop Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s actions in Gaza and Lebanon. He vowed to stand strong against Israel and to support Lebanon.

“Although some people persistently refuse to see it, the Netanyahu government is dreaming a crude dream that includes Anatolia,” Erdogan said, referring to a large swathe of Turkey.

“The place that Israel – which is acting with the delirium of the promised lands – will set its sights on after Palestine and Lebanon will be our homeland,” he said.

Oil prices jumped on worries about the potential for increased violence in the Middle East and for disruptions to the flow of crude from the region.

A barrel of benchmark U.S. crude rose 2.7% to top $70. Brent crude, the international benchmark, rose 2.6% to $73.57 a barrel.

Egypt’s top diplomat on Tuesday deplored Israel’s “serious escalation” in southern Lebanon, after the Israeli military said it launched a “limited and focused” ground incursion.

Foreign Minister Badr Abdelaty warned that Israel’s 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 will reject any attempts to establish a new status quo that violates Lebanon’s sovereignty.

Iran is preparing to “imminently” launch a ballistic missile attack on Israel, according to a senior U.S. administration official, who warned Tuesday of “severe consequences” should it take place.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the matter, said the U.S. is actively supporting Israeli defensive preparations.

This comes after the Israeli military on Tuesday warned people to evacuate nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities hours after announcing what it said were limited ground operations against Hezbollah.

Syria’s Defense Ministry said that Israeli strikes targeted several areas in capital Damascus early Tuesday.

Air defenses shot down most of the missiles, but three civilians were killed and nine others injured, it said. Among those killed was a well-known television news anchor, Safaa Ahmad.

Israel frequently targets Syrian military sites and locations associated with Iran-backed groups, but strikes inside the city of Damascus are rare.

Israeli airstrikes have killed at least 19 people in the Gaza Strip, including five women and three children, Palestinian medical officials said Tuesday.

Israel has continued to strike what it says are militant targets across Gaza even as attention has shifted to Lebanon and the military’s rapidly accelerating campaign against Hezbollah.

Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital received the bodies of 11 people after a strike late Monday in the built-up Nuseirat refugee camp. Survivors struggled to identify the remains.

Another eight people were killed in a strike that hit a vehicle in a tent camp in the southern city of Khan Younis, according to the nearby Nasser Hospital. Associated Press reporters counted the bodies at both hospitals.

The Israeli army has been carrying out secretive ground operations to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure in Lebanese villages close to the border for the past year, military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Tuesday.

He said that the current ground maneuvers in Lebanon are an expansion of the previous year’s operations.

The military released footage of what it said were Israeli soldiers uncovering tunnels and weapons in at least three Lebanese villages.

He said that troops destroyed more than more than 700 Hezbollah sites, including tunnels carved deep into the hillside. They included separate rooms for storing weapons and what seemed to be bedrooms outfitted with mattresses.

Hagari said that Hezbollah was preparing to carry out an Oct. 7-style attack against Israel, based on the placement of weapons slicks and maps uncovered during operations that refer to a plan called “Conquer the Galilee.”

The Israeli military says its troops have carried out dozens of small ground operations in Lebanon over the past year.

Military spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters on Tuesday that Israeli forces have crossed the border to collect information and destroy infrastructure belonging to the Hezbollah militant group.

He said they also blew up tunnels and arsenals.

Hezbollah’s media office says an Israeli airstrike on Beirut’s southern suburb destroyed the building housing the offices of a religious TV station.

The media office said that there were no weapons stored in the building where Al-Sirat TV, a Shiite Muslim religious TV station, had its offices.

Prior to Tuesday’s strike, the Israeli military had warned people to evacuate several buildings south of Beirut late Monday, saying they were linked to Hezbollah interests. There was no word on casualties.

The Israeli military has announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches following Hezbollah rocket fire.

The new guidelines announced Tuesday came after Israel said it had launched a limited ground incursion into Lebanon to combat the militant group.

Hezbollah fired a salvo of medium-range rockets into central Israel that wounded one person earlier Tuesday.

Amnesty international has appealed to Montenegro and Slovenia to stop a Portuguese-flagged cargo ship, believed to be carrying explosives bound for Israel, from docking at their ports.

The rights group said that such cargo “would contribute to the commission of war crimes in Gaza.”

The MV Kathrin left Vietnam’s Hai Phong port on July 21, Amnesty said. Namibian authorities on Aug. 24 revoked previously granted permission for the ship to enter Namibia’s main harbor, citing information from the ship’s operator that some of the explosives on board were destined for Israel.

The ship reportedly was trying to dock at the Slovenian port of Koper or Bar in Montenegro. On Tuesday, it was located not far from Bar and was expected to arrive there on Thursday, according to the Marine Traffic global ship tracking monitor.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide on Tuesday said that Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, was sending a signal that it does not want a wider regional conflict.

“The really big war will come if there is a direct confrontation between Iran and Israel,” he told reporters is Oslo. “So far it has not happened, and Iran’s newly elected president is sending clear signals that they do not want it. “

Barth Eide said that the conflict in Lebanon between Israel and the militant group Hezbollah was “exactly the escalation we have feared for a long time,” going from “a very dramatic situation in Gaza and the West Bank to a more international conflict.”

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares has urged 1,000 Spanish civilians currently in Lebanon to leave the country and for Israel to stop its assault.

Albares said there are still commercial flights available to leave, but that he is in contact with Spain’s defense ministry to prepare a possible evacuation.

“The land invasion of Lebanon must stop,” Albares said, while also demanding the end of Israeli operations in Gaza and the return of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

Spain has 676 soldiers in Lebanon deployed under a United Nations peacekeeping mission.

Britain’s top diplomat is calling for an immediate cease-fire in both Lebanon and Gaza, as he urged both Israel and Iran to show restraint and avoid “a regional escalation.”

Foreign Secretary David Lammy told British broadcasters that “we will continue to speak to the Israelis and indeed to other actors in the Middle East,” including Iran.

“We are urging restraint. None of us want to see a regional war, the price would be huge for the Middle East and it would have a significant effect on the global economy,” he said.

The Israeli military said it shot dead two militants following an exchange of fire during a raid in the West Bank city of Nablus.

The Palestinian Health Ministry said a 33-year-old man was killed Monday by Israeli fire in the Nablus’ old city. Another man, 25 years old, was fatally shot by Israeli forces nearby in the Balata refugee camp. The militant group Hamas later claimed the older man as one of its fighters.

One soldier was seriously injured and three others were moderately hurt, the army said.

Hezbollah has denied that Israeli troops have entered Lebanon but says its fighters are ready for a “direct confrontation” if they cross the border.

In its first statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif said reports that Israeli forces had entered Lebanon were “false claims.”

He said Hezbollah fighters are ready “to have direct confrontation with enemy forces that dare to or try to enter Lebanon to inflict casualties among them.”

He also said Hezbollah’s firing of medium-range missiles toward central Israel earlier on Tuesday “is only the beginning.”

Correction: The name of Hezbollah spokesman was misspelled in a previous version of this post.

Turkey condemned the Israeli ground forces’ incursion into southern Lebanon on Tuesday, labeling it an “unlawful invasion attempt” and demanding an immediate cessation of the offensive and the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry warned that the incursion jeopardizes the security and stability of countries in and out of the region, heightening the risk of a new wave of migration and the resurgence of extremist groups. The statement said countries that provide political support and arms to Israel would also be affected.

“The U.N. Security Council must uphold international law and take necessary measures against this assault aimed at occupying Lebanon. Every crime committed by Israel is also a blow to international law and the U.N. Charter,” the statement said.

The Israeli military has ordered the evacuation of nearly two dozen Lebanese border communities.

The orders on Tuesday came hours after Israel sent ground forces into southern Lebanon in what it described as a limited incursion against the Hezbollah militant group.

The evacuation order was posted by the Israeli military’s Arabic spokesperson on the social media platform X. It specified around two dozen communities in southern Lebanon and ordered people to evacuate north of the Awali River, some 60 kilometers (nearly 40 miles) from the border.

That is farther than the Litani River, which marks the northern edge of a United Nations-declared zone that was intended to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after the 2006 war. The Litani River is about 30 kilometers (20 miles) from the border.

The United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon says the Israeli military notified it the day before of its “intention to undertake limited ground incursions into Lebanon” and described it as a “dangerous development.”

The statement Tuesday from UNIFIL did not say if Israeli forces were actually observed crossing the border. Peacekeepers were in position and “have contingency plans ready to activate if absolutely necessary,” it said.

“Any crossing into Lebanon is in violation of Lebanese sovereignty and territorial integrity, and a violation of resolution 1701,” the statement said, referring to the 2006 U.N. resolution that put an end to a bruising monthlong war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah. “We urge all actors to step back from such escalatory acts, which will only lead to more violence and more bloodshed.”

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in a yearlong war against its Iranian-backed adversaries.

A British government-chartered flight is due to leave Beirut on Wednesday to bring United Kingdom nationals out of Lebanon.

The government says U.K. nationals, their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 are eligible, and priority will be given to the most vulnerable.

Until this announcement, the government urged Britons to leave the country on commercial flights.

On Monday night, Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and warned it could “deteriorate quickly.”

The U.K. also sent 700 troops to a base in Cyprus to prepare for a potential evacuation of the estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon.

The United Nations and the Lebanese government have launched a $426 million flash appeal for urgent humanitarian aid for civilians caught up in the ongoing conflict with Israel.

The appeal was launched in Beirut Tuesday by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza.

Mikati said that Lebanon is going through “one of the most dangerous moments in its history.” He said that 1 million people have been displaced as a result “of the destructive war launched by Israel on Lebanon.”

The Israeli military says it is conducting “localized ground raids” on Hezbollah positions in Lebanon, after troops crossed the border overnight in a long-anticipated ground operation.

The scope of the incursion was unclear and there were no immediate reports of clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters.

In a video statement released to media on Tuesday, Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, a military spokesperson, said troops were operating against Hezbollah to ensure that Israeli citizens could return to their homes in the north.

The head of Italy’s main opposition party, Elly Schlein, called on Israel to retreat from Lebanese territory, saying “territorial sovereignty cannot be violated, international law must always prevail.”

Schlein, head of Italy’s left-wing Democratic Party, called for a cease-fire in both Gaza and Lebanon, both under fire from the Israeli military under Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu.

“We cannot resign ourselves to daily horror,” she said Tuesday. “Europe and the international community cannot watch in silence. We say enough of Netanyahu’s bombardments and Hezbollah’s missiles.”

Lebanon’s state news agency says an Israeli airstrike on a Palestinian refugee camp in south Lebanon killed six people, including the son of a Palestinian official.

National News Agency said the early Tuesday airstrike on Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in Sidon, the largest of Lebanon’s 12 refugee camps, targeted the home of Gen. Munir Makdah of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah group. NNA said Makdah’s son and daughter-in-law, as well as another woman and three children, were killed in the airstrike.

Makdah’s brother, Khalil Makdah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in August in the port city of Sidon.

The Lebanese army says it redeployed troops in some observation points along the border with Israel.

The army did not give further details about the posts. It said the Lebanese military is coordinating with United Nations peacekeepers deployed along the tense border area.

The army’s statement Tuesday denied local media reports that troops have moved several kilometers (miles) away from the border ahead of a possible Israel ground operation.

The Israeli military says parts of south Lebanon are witnessing “intense fighting” and called on people not to enter the area south of the Litani River.

The military’s Arabic-language spokesperson, Avichay Adraee, posted Tuesday on X that people should not drive into the area south of the Litani River. The area has dozens of towns and villages close to the Israeli border.

Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni said Tuesday that “a de-escalation at regional level is urgent and necessary.”

“The protection of civilians remains the priority along with guaranteeing the security of the Italian military contingent of UNIFIL present in southern Lebanon,” she said in a statement.

Italy, which holds the G7 rotating presidency, is working with allies to stabilize the situation along Israeli-Lebanon border, and to help people who have been displaced by the fighting return to their homes, Meloni said.

Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told The Associated Press on Tuesday that large-scale evacuations from Lebanon have not begun, even as Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon. He said evacuations of third-country nationals from Lebanon to the east Mediterranean island nation are “slow and controlled so far.”

Cyprus has agreements with around a dozen countries to act as a temporary host for their evacuated nationals before their repatriation. Under the “Estia” plan, evacuees will be processed and given accommodations for a few days before catching flights to their home countries.

Kombos said Cyprus has received some staff from foreign diplomatic missions and some Saudi nationals a few days ago. About 60 Chinese nationals are due to arrive by ship at the island nation’s main port of Limassol.

Hezbollah has not commented on the Israeli military announcement that it had started a ground incursion. Overnight and Tuesday morning, the group said it targeted groups of soldiers in several Israeli border areas with artillery shelling and rockets. It was not immediately clear if any soldiers were hit.

The White House National Security Council said Israel’s “limited operations” to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure across the border were in line with the country’s right to defend itself.

However, the NSC warned, an expansion of that operation was a risk. It added that a diplomatic solution was the only way to achieve lasting stability along Israel’s border with Lebanon.

“This is in line with Israel’s right to defend its citizens and safely return civilians to their homes. We support Israel’s right to defend itself against Hezbollah and all Iranian-backed terror groups. Of course, we know that mission creep can be a risk and we will keep discussing that with the Israelis,” the NSC said.

Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early Tuesday, marking a significant escalation of an offensive against Hezbollah militants and opening a new front in a yearlong war against its Iranian-backed adversaries.

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin told Israel’s defense minister that he agreed on the need for a ground offensive inside Lebanon to rid the border area of Hezbollah weapons and other means it can use to carry out attacks across the frontier.

Austin told Yoav Gallant in a call that the U.S. supports Israel’s right to defend itself and discussed Israel’s military operations.

“We agreed on the necessity of dismantling attack infrastructure along the border,” Austin said in a statement posted on X.

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This post has been corrected to show that Lloyd Austin is Secretary of Defense, not Secretary of State.

Iran lost its most reliable ally in the Middle East when an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. But Iran isn’t leading the charge to retaliate.

That’s put Tehran in a bind: Not responding could see it alienate the militias it relies on in the region. Meanwhile, any possible retaliation risks a wider war as its theocracy faces intense challenges at home.

“By the grace and power of God, Lebanon will make the transgressing, malicious enemy regret its actions,” Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in the wake of Nasrallah’s death Friday.

But the 85-year-old paramount ruler in Iran gave no mention of his country taking action over the death of a man he once praised as “an exceptional face in the world of Islam” after the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.

That reluctance continued into Monday, as Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Nasser Kanaani told journalists that “the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian people are not after war” but rather “peace and stability in the region.”

Though Kananni added that “any adventurous move or action against our national security or interests and our hands will never be tied,” at one point wearing a checkered Palestinian keffiyeh scarf during his remarks.

These comments highlight a reticence in responding to Nasrallah’s death. Though his leadership of Hezbollah was the crown jewel in Iran’s decades-long strategy of arming regional militias to counter both Israel and the United States, Iran remains cautious about when — or if — it will strike back.

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