The Israeli army has launched a limited ground operation in Lebanon. Meanwhile, there are said to have been deaths in an attack on Damascus. All developments in the news blog.
3:45 p.m.: Iran is “imminently” preparing a missile attack on Israel, a US official warns.
10 O `clock: The Iran-backed Houthis in Yemen say they fired a drone toward a military target near Tel Aviv in Israel. The Israeli military had previously said it had intercepted a drone dozens of kilometers off the coast in the Tel Aviv area. No injuries or damage were reported. The Houthis also claim an attack on Eilat in southern Israel. Israel’s army did not comment.
The Houthis repeatedly fire projectiles towards Israel in solidarity with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. In response to attacks from Yemen, Israel most recently attacked facilities of the “Houthi terror regime” in various Yemeni towns on Sunday with dozens of warplanes.
8:33 a.m.: The Israeli military says it is fighting fierce battles with Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. Army spokesman Avihai Adraee announced this via the short message service X. During the night, Israel announced the start of a limited ground offensive in Lebanon.
“For your personal safety, we ask you not to travel in vehicles from the north (to areas) south of the Litani,” the army spokesman wrote, referring to a river in southern Lebanon that marks the northern border of a region that has emerged since the last war between Israel and the Demilitarized zone agreed upon by Hezbollah in 2006 but never implemented by Hezbollah. The spokesman accused Hezbollah of using civilians in the region as “human shields.”
8:09 a.m: The terrorist organization Hezbollah reports that it has fired on Israeli soldiers across the border in Israeli territory. The terrorist organization does not respond to Israel’s declaration that it has begun a limited ground offensive in Lebanon.
5:02 a.m.: US warns Iran of “serious consequences” if it attacks Israel.
4:33 a.m.: The US Department of Defense has denied reports of an attack on American troops near Baghdad International Airport. “All military personnel are well and there was no targeted attack on military forces as reported,” a Pentagon official told Reuters on condition of anonymity. However, the government in Washington is aware of reports of an attack on the Baghdad Diplomatic Support Complex, a US State Department facility. A ministry spokesman said there were no injuries. The incident is currently being investigated. Read more here.
3:31 a.m.: According to state media, three civilians were killed in an Israeli air strike on the Syrian capital Damascus. Nine other people were injured. A presenter for Syrian state television is said to be among the victims. The attack caused significant damage to private property.
The Syrian air defense had previously intercepted “enemy targets” over Damascus three times in a row, as media reports. Israel initially did not comment on the incident. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, Israel has been carrying out increased air strikes on targets close to Iran in Syria.
3:21 a.m.: Israeli forces have attacked the Palestinian refugee camp Ain al-Hilweh in southern Lebanon, according to Palestinian information. The attack targeted Munir Makdah, the commander of the Lebanese branch of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, two Palestinian security officials said. Nothing is initially known about the fate of Makdah. The attack hit a building in the densely populated camp near the southern Lebanese city of Sidon.
