Israel masses tanks at border as fears grow of ground invasion into Lebanon
30 September 2024, 06:56 | Updated: 30 September 2024, 08:33
Israeli amy tanks have been deployed in the Upper Galilee region in the north of the country near the border with Lebanon.
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The move has raised the prospect of a ground operation against Hezbollah, prompting widespread international concern
Israel has also said it has carried out "large-scale" air strikes - against the Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen.
It follows the assassination of Hezbollah leader - Hassan Nasrallah - in the Lebanese capital Beirut on Friday.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says the operation in Lebanon is about achieving long-term stability.
Lebanon says around a million people have now been displaced as a result of the conflict.
An Israeli air strike reportedly destroyed an apartment building in the centre of the Lebanese capital Beirut.
A separate group The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine say three of its leaders were killed in a strike in Beirut.
Hezbollah has also continued to fire rockets into northern Israel.
A residential neighbourhood that houses predominantly Sunni Muslims was hit early on Monday morning, according to the Associated Press.
There was no immediate comment from Israeli officials.
The Israel Defence Force has previously stated it carried out another targeted strike on Beirut but did not immediately provide details.
The airstrike killed at least one person and wounded 16, said an official with Lebanese Civil Defense, who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He said the person killed was a member of the al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, or the Islamic Group, a Sunni political and militant group that is allied with Hezbollah.
President Joe Biden says he is set to speak with Netanyahu in a bid to avoid 'all-out war' in the Middle East.
"It has to be," Mr Biden told reporters as he boarded Air Force One for Washington.
"We really have to avoid it."
Separately, Israeli attacks in the northern province of Baalbek Hermel killed a further 21 and injured at least 47.
As well as strikes in the capital, local media reported dozens of strikes against civilian buildings in the region of Bekaa and southern Lebanon.
At the weekend, Hezbollah sustained heavy blows to its command structure with attacks taking out militant group leader Hassan Nasrallah and seven other senior members.
An Associated Press journalist at the scene where Mr Nasrallah was killed reported that the attack struck a multi-storey residential building.
Video footage from the scene also showed ambulances at the scene and a large crowd gathered.
Hezbollah confirmed senior commander Ali Karaki and Nabil Kaouk, deputy head of the militant group's Central Council, were both killed in air strikes at the weekend.
Mr Kaouk became the seventh senior member killed in a little over a week with several of Hezbollah's founding members dead.
Israel also claims that at least 20 other militants were killed, including the head of Mr Nasrallah's security detail.
The Lebanese health ministry also reported at least 14 medical workers were killed over two days in the south.
In response to escalated aggression against Lebanon, Hezbollah has significantly increased its attacks against Israel in the past week, according to one Israeli military official.
Attacks have risen from several dozen to several hundred daily, leaving several people injured and damaging infrastructure.
Most of the rockets and drones were intercepted by Israel's air defence systems or made landfall in open areas away from people.
The IDF says its strikes have degraded Hezbollah's capabilities and the number of launches would be much higher if Hezbollah had not been hit.
