Israeli officials have stated that it would be a 'limited operation' targeting Hezbollah infrastructure in southern Lebanon, a region that saw the end of Israel's 18-year occupation in 2000.
The US department has been "engaged in conversations" with Israel about "limited operations" near the border with Lebanon, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reports.
On the other side, Hezbollah has vowed to continue fighting Israel and said the group was prepared for a long war after much of its top command was assassinated, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah.
Earlier on Monday, in his first speech since Nasrallah's assassination, Hezbollah's deputy leader Naim Qassem said if Israel decides to launch a ground offensive, Hezbollah fighters are ready to fight and defend Lebanon.
03:43 Three Syrian civilians were killed and 9 others injured during an Israeli airstrike on Damascus, as reported by SANA.
"The Israeli enemy launched an air aggression with warplanes and drones from the direction of the occupied Syrian Golan, targeting several points in Damascus," the official SANA news agency said, adding that "three civilians were killed and nine others injured".
03:35 An Israeli airstrike targeted the Ain el-Hilweh refugee camp in South Lebanon, southeast of Sidon, aiming at Fatah leading figure Lt. General Mounir Maqdah, who serves as the commander of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades in the camp.
According to news reports, Maqdah survived the attack, though others were killed and injured in the strike.
This incident comes just a month after the killing of his brother, Khalil Maqdah, a leading figure in Fatah, in another Israeli operation.
03:13 Syrian state television said an anchor was killed in an Israeli strike on Damascus on Tuesday, with state-run media reporting three rounds of strikes in the capital area in one night.
State television said in a statement that it "mourns anchor Safaa Ahmad who was martyred in the Israeli aggression on the capital Damascus". The official SANA news agency earlier said "air defence systems are intercepting hostile targets for the third time tonight in the Damascus area."
03:05 Hezbollah Political Council member Mahmoud Qomati issued a strong message, asserting that Hezbollah is prepared to defeat Israeli occupation forces in the event of a ground invasion into Lebanon, according to Mayadeen.
Qomati emphasized Hezbollah's allies' readiness to intervene if the conflict escalates.
Warning that southern Lebanon would be a formidable challenge for any occupying forces, Qomati highlighted the extensive arsenal at Hezbollah's disposal and the fighters' high state of readiness to confront Israeli forces.
Qomati also underlined the swift rebuilding of the Resistance following the tragic assassination of Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah.
02:50 Qatar was the first country to react to the Israeli ground invasion, with the Minister of State for International Cooperation slamming « a monster that has been unleashed in our region. A monster that uses prohibited weapons and methods that target civilians indiscriminately, » in an X post.
« The Israeli occupation exceptionalism above international law must stop, » Lolwah AlKhater said.
02:45 The Israeli army said in a statement that its “Air Force intercepted an unmanned aircraft in the sky of the Mediterranean Sea, dozenkilometreseters west of the coast in the central region of the country.”
02:35 Axios news site reported, according to two Israeli officials, that the approval for the ground operation was given by the security cabinet in its late Monday night meeting.
They added that the operation is limited in both time and scope and is not intended to occupy southern Lebanon.
02:20 Syrian state media said air defences were intercepting "hostile" targets in the Damascus area, AFP reported.
"Our air defence systems are intercepting hostile targets in the Damascus area," Syria's official SANA news agency said.
02:10 The New York Times reported that Israeli officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, have stated that the military will only be sending a small invasion force comprising mainly of small commando groups supported by air and ground forces.
02:00 The Israeli army spokesperson announces that Israel has started a ground invasion in Lebanon.
The army said the troops have begun limited, localized and targeted raids in the border area of southern Lebanon. Operation “Northern Arrows” will continue according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and other areas.
According to a statement issued by the Israeli army, the “targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”
It added, "The Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces.”
01:50 A massive missile attack has targeted northern Israel, Israeli media reported, adding that 35 rockets were fired from Lebanon within the first 40 minutes after midnight.
01:45 Two US officials told NBC News that the Israeli ground incursion into Lebanon appears to have begun. The officials said the US does not have independent confirmation, but the timing tracks with what the Israelis notified Washington it had planned.
The officials said the US has not seen any movement of assets or equipment in Iran to indicate that a response from Tehran is imminent.
01:40 Hezbollah said it "targeted" Israeli troops carrying out "movements" near the Lebanese border, with a source close to the group saying the soldiers were "right on the border", as reported by AFP.
The militant group said it targeted "enemy soldiers' movements in the orchards opposite Adaisseh and Kfarkila" near the border.
01:32 "This is not self-defense, but provoking all-out war." Belgium deputy PM Petra De Sutter told Al Jazeera English and called for ‘maximum sanctions’ on Israel for the planned ground invasion of Lebanon saying it grossly violates international law.
01:27 Iraqi Ministry of Transport denies suspension of air traffic at Baghdad International Airport. Flight Radar 24 shows at this moment the movement of flights is normal and scheduled flights have been diverted or cancelled.
01:25 US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin has stated that the US is increasing its readiness to deploy forces in the Middle East to respond to "various contingencies," according to a Pentagon statement.
Up to 3,000 more troops will be added to the 40,000 troops already stationed in the region, according to a report by the New York Times. Extra fighter aircraft squadrons including F-16, F-15E, F-22 fighter aircraft, and A-10 attack aircraft are being sent to the Middle East to bolster the American position.
Austin also raised the preparatory level of troops already in the region, according to a press release by the US Department of Defense.
01:10 The Israeli army’s ground movement into Lebanon will be significant but not "major," a senior US official told ABC News.
The operations will be limited, the official said, with small unit special forces commando teams that will go against Hezbollah fighters, weapons caches and long-range missile sites. They will also have air power backup, the official added.
01:00 The British government has announced efforts to help evacuate its nationals, who want to leave Lebanon, according to BBC. This follows reports of an Israeli ground invasion starting in the South of Lebanon amidst intensifying air raids on Lebanon’s southern region and its capital, Beirut. UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy said, “The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly."
British nationals will be evacuated on a chartered commercial flight, along with their significant others and direct family, including offspring under 18.
00:48 Air traffic has been temporarily halted in the airspace of Baghdad International Airport, according to reports. The suspension comes following recent rocket attacks targeting the airport area as well as Victory Base Complex where both U.S. and Iraqi forces are stationed.
00:45 The Lebanese Hezbollah-affiliated news outlet Al Mayadeen has just stated that renewed Israeli airstrikes are targeting Khiam, a town located in the southern region of Lebanon.
00:40 95 people were killed and 172 others injured due to Israeli airstrikes on Monday, Lebanon Health Ministry says as reported by Al Jazeera.
“Israeli enemy strikes in the past 24 hours… killed 95 people and injured 172,” the ministry said following the deadliest two weeks of bombing the Arab country has faced since the 2006 war with Israel.
00:30 France sends military ship to Lebanese coast as 'precaution' in case it has to evacuate its nationals, AFP reports
0:00 Hezbollah said in a statement that it targeted a group of Israeli soldiers who were in the orchard facing the Lebanese border towns of Adaisseh and Kafr Kila.
23:50 Israel carried out heavy airstrikes on Dahieh, the southern suburbs of Beirut. Al Jazeera reports at least seven airstrikes.
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