Israeli ground forces crossed into southern Lebanon early on Tuesday in a dramatic escalation of the offensive against Hezbollah - as the UK government chartered a flight to help Britons trapped in the country escape.
The Israeli military said in a brief statement that it began “limited, localised and targeted ground raids” against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon.
“These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel,” it said.
The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hezbollah - including an airstrike that killed its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah - and seeks to step up the pressure on the group, which began firing rockets into northern Israel after the start of the war in Gaza.
The last time Israel and Hezbollah engaged in ground combat was in 2006.
There was no word on how long the operation would last, but the army said soldiers had been training and preparing for the mission in recent months.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to deteriorate quickly” as the flight, due to leave Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, was confirmed.
Earlier, Mr Lammy reiterated calls for Britons in Lebanon to leave and said the Government will do “all that we can” to assist people in fleeing.
British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the UK flght, and those who are vulnerable will be prioritised.
Mr Lammy said: “The situation in Lebanon is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly.
“The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority. That’s why the UK Government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed.”
Israel has said it will continue to strike the group until it is safe for displaced Israelis from border communities to return to their homes.
Ahead of the Israeli announcement, United States officials said Israel launched small ground raids inside Lebanon, and Israel declared three small border communities to be a “closed military zone”, restricting access only to army personnel.
There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants. But throughout the evening, Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut.
Smoke rose from the capital’s southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate.
The army has heavily beefed up forces along the border in recent days, and commanders have said they are prepared to go into Lebanon.
Israeli strikes in recent weeks have hit what the military says are thousands of militant targets across large parts of Lebanon. More than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon in the past two weeks, nearly a quarter of them women and children, according to the Health Ministry.
Speaking to broadcasters earlier on Monday evening, Mr Lammy said: “We will do all that we can to assist people to get out and we have secured places on commercial flights that are flying tomorrow so that UK nationals can get out.
“I urge them to leave because the situation on the ground is fast-moving.”
He added: “And of course, whilst we will do everything we can to protect British nationals - and those plans are in place to do so - we cannot anticipate the circumstances and the speed with which we could do that if things escalate in a major way over the coming hours and days.”
Mr Lammy chaired a ministerial meeting of the Cobra emergency committee on Monday to discuss the crisis.
There are an estimated 5,000 British citizens in Lebanon and the Government says it is working on “all contingency options”.
British military assets have been deployed to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean in case an evacuation is required, although ministers and officials have stressed that Britons should leave immediately.
On Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer has been “very, very clear” that British nationals “should leave now, particularly whilst commercial flights are still available”.
The spokesman told reporters: “We’re doing everything we can to work with commercial airlines to maximise capacity because we want people to leave, and I understand that there have been extra Middle East Airlines flights leaving Lebanon over the weekend, another scheduled for Tuesday, and we have secured seats for British nationals on those flights.”
It is understood around 15 spaces for British nationals were secured on a flight which arrived on Sunday, and a further 40 on the flight due to leave on Tuesday.
The spokesman said the focus is on “securing extra spaces on commercial flights for those who do want to leave and reiterating our calls for those to leave and to register their presence with us and book the first available flights”.
