The Israeli army is preparing for a possible ground incursion into Lebanon after calling up reservists amid an escalating conflict on its northern border with Lebanon which has killed hundreds and displaced hundreds of thousands.
A wave of Israeli strikes on Monday and Tuesday killed at least 560 people in Lebanon and forced thousands to seek refuge.
The Israeli Defense Forces claimed the strikes were targeted at Hezbollah installations, with the group retaliating by firing a missile towards Tel Aviv for the first time on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has told any Brits in Lebanon to “leave now”.
In the wake of the strikes, IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi told soldiers that air strikes in Lebanon would continue in order to destroy Hezbollah infrastructure and to prepare the way for a possible ground operation by Israeli forces.
"You hear the jets overhead; we have been striking all day," he told troops on the border with Lebanon, according to a statement from the military.
"This is both to prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah."
Hezbollah hurled dozens of projectiles into Israel early on Wednesday, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group's deepest strike yet.
The missile set off air-raid sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel. There were no reports of casualties or damage. The military said it struck the site in southern Lebanon where the missile was launched.
Lebanese authorities said 51 people were killed and more than 200 injured after Wednesday’s Israeli strike.
The calling up of reservists suggests that the conflict is escalating, despite calls from international leaders appealing for calm.
Fleeing families have flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria.
The United Nations said more than 90,000 people have been displaced by five days of Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
It comes as Britain made moves to send troops to Cyprus in position to help evacuate Britons trapped in Lebanon, while Prime Minister Keir Starmer called for diplomacy and an immediate ceasefire to bring Israel and Hezbollah back from the brink.
Sir Keir told British citizens to leave “immediately” while there were still commercial flights.
"It's very important that they hear my message, which is to leave and to leave immediately," he told reporters.
The Israeli military says it is activating reserve troops in response to rising tensions with the Hezbollah militant group.
It came as the United Nations said more than 90,000 people have been displaced by five days of Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
The UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said on Wednesday that a total of 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel nearly a year ago, drawing Israeli retaliation.
The Israeli military announcement on Wednesday indicates that Israel is planning even tougher action against Lebanese group Hezbollah.
It followed Hezbollah firing a missile towards Tel Aviv for the first time.
The army said it was calling up "two reserve brigades for operational missions in the northern arena".
"This will enable the continuation of combat against the Hezbollah terrorist organisation," it said.
Hezbollah hurled dozens of projectiles into Israel early Wednesday, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that was the militant group's deepest strike yet, and the Israeli military said it would activate reserve troops in response to the rising tensions.
The Israeli military said it intercepted the surface-to-surface missile, which marked a further escalation after Israeli strikes on Lebanon killed hundreds of people.
The missile set off air-raid sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel. There were no reports of casualties or damage. The military said it struck the site in southern Lebanon where the missile was launched.
The launch ratcheted up hostilities as the region appeared to be teetering toward another all-out war, even as Israel continues to battle Hamas in the Gaza Strip. A wave of Israeli strikes on Monday and Tuesday killed at least 560 people in Lebanon and forced thousands to seek refuge.
Fleeing families have flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria.
The United Nations said more than 90,000 people have been displaced by five days of Israeli strikes on Lebanon.
