Yahoo News Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Iran plans to fire missiles at Israel, US official says
Israel said its troops are now active in southern Lebanon in what the Israel Defense Forces called "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids" targeting Hezbollah positions.
Israel believes it has eliminated around 30 top Hezbollah leaders over the last several weeks, including Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut, U.S. and Israeli officials said.
Latest Developments
Oct 1, 10:31 AM
US Embassy in Jerusalem issues 'shelter in place' order
The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem issued a statement directing all government employees and their family members "to shelter in place until further notice," following reports of an imminent Iranian missile attack on Israel.
The embassy noted the "continued need for caution and increased personal security awareness as security incidents, including mortar and rocket fire and unmanned aircraft system," which it said "often take place without warning."
"The security environment remains complex and can change quickly depending on the political situation and recent events," it added.
Oct 1, 10:07 AM
Netanyahu warns Israelis of 'testing days ahead'
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged unity among Israelis in a video statement published Tuesday, as Israel Defense Forces operations in Lebanon expanded and amid fears of an imminent Iranian missile attack.
"We are in the midst of a campaign against Iran's 'Axis of Evil,'" the prime minister said. "These are days of great achievements and great challenges."
The "great achievements," Netanyahu said, included the assassination of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in a Beirut airstrike last week, plus the defeat of an alleged Hezbollah plan to launch an infiltration attack into northern Israel.
The country still faces "big challenges," he continued.
"What I ask of you is two things: One -- to strictly obey the directives of the front-line command, it saves lives. And second -- to stand together. We will stand firm together in the testing days ahead."
"Together we will stand, together we will fight and together we will win."
-ABC News Joe Simonetti and Jordana Miller
Oct 1, 10:15 AM
Iran to launch ballistic missiles at Israel 'imminently,' US official says
A senior White House official told ABC News on Tuesday that the U.S. "has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel."
"We are actively supporting defensive preparations to defend Israel against this attack," the official added.
"A direct military attack from Iran against Israel will carry severe consequences for Iran."
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari told reporters, "At this moment we don't identify an aerial threat from Iran."
"The U.S. informed us that Iran is preparing to fire directly on Israel," he said, asking the public to be "responsible and vigilant and I will be here to update you."
A senior Israeli official told ABC News, "If Iran attacks Israel the reaction will be severe."
-ABC News' Selina Wang, Joe Simonetti, Jordana Miller and Eric Avram
Oct 1, 8:49 AM
Israeli special ops teams active in Lebanon for almost a year, IDF says
Israel special operations teams have been operating in southern Lebanon since November, an Israeli security source said Tuesday, conducting around 70 missions in groups of 20 to 40 operators.
The troops spent around 200 nights inside Lebanon, making it the most intense series of special operations missions in Israel's history, the official said.
The units operated between 1 and 2 miles inside Lebanese territory, the official said, blowing up and dismantling hundreds of Hezbollah facilities including tunnels.
Some tunnels doubled as weapons caches and others stretched to the Israeli border. Officials said on Tuesday they believed Hezbollah was planning an imminent "Oct.7-style invasion" of northern Israel.
The security source claimed that Hezbollah's elite Radwan Force was at times as little as six hours from launching such an attack. The security source claimed that Hezbollah’s elite Radwan Force was at times as little as six hours from launching such an attack. ABC News was not immediately able to independently verify the official's claims.
The Israeli special operations units operating in southern Lebanon encountered almost no resistance, the official said, and did not suffer any casualties.
Though some 2,000 Radwan troops are believed to be present within 3 miles of Israel's border -- and between 6,000 and 8,000 in southern Lebanon in total -- they have not been fighting.
"During these operations, the troops also collected valuable intelligence and methodically dismantled the weapons and compounds, including underground infrastructure and advanced weaponry of Iranian origin," the Israel Defense Forces said in a statement.
"Some of the weapons were recovered and taken by the soldiers back into Israeli territory."
-ABC News' Matt Gutman and Anna Burd
Oct 1, 8:23 AM
Airstrike hits southern Beirut suburb
The southern Beirut suburb of Dahiya was hit by a fresh airstrike early on Tuesday, as Israeli warplanes continued to bomb targets across Lebanon in pursuit of Hezbollah members and resources.
Lebanon's Health Ministry said Tuesday that the previous 24 hours saw at least 95 people killed and 172 wounded by Israeli strikes in Lebanon's southern regions, the eastern Bekaa Valley and Beirut.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti
Oct 1, 6:36 AM
Hezbollah disputes Israel's incursion claims
Israeli claims that its soldiers began ground operations inside southern Lebanon "are false," Hezbollah said in a Tuesday statement.
"No direct ground clashes have yet taken place between the resistance fighters and the occupation forces," the group said, referring to Israeli troops.
"The resistance fighters are ready for a direct confrontation with the enemy forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanese territory and inflict the greatest losses on them."
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti and Ghazi Balkiz
Oct 1, 6:36 AM
IDF orders evacuation of south Lebanese villages
Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee -- the Israel Defense Forces' spokesperson for Arab media -- ordered residents of nearly two dozen villages to "immediately" evacuate their homes amid Israel's claimed ground campaign into southern Lebanon.
"The IDF does not want to harm you, and for your own safety you must evacuate your homes immediately," Adraee said in a statement posted to social media.
"Anyone who is near Hezbollah members, installations and combat equipment is putting his life in danger. Any home used by Hezbollah for its military needs is expected to be targeted."
Adraee ordered civilians to move north of the Awali River. "Be careful, you are not allowed to go south," he said. "Going south could put your life in danger. We will let you know when it is safe to return home."
-ABC News' Ghazi Balkiz
Oct 1, 6:18 AM
Beirut not a target of Israeli ground incursion, official says
The Israel Defense Forces' operation in southern Lebanon is occurring "right by the border" with no intention of pushing towards the capital Beirut, an Israeli security official said during a Tuesday briefing.
The IDF has three goals, the official said.
The first is to remove the threat of cross-border fire at Israeli citizens, they said. The second is to target senior militant leaders planning such attacks, the official added.
The third goal is to create a situation in which tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes in the north of the country.
"We're talking about limited, localized, targeted rates based on precise intelligence in areas near the border," the official said when asked about the scope of the operation.
Beirut, they added, is not on the table. Airstrikes are supporting the ground incursion in the south and continuing elsewhere, the official said.
"We're talking about Hezbollah embedding itself in the Lebanese villages, right by the border," they said.
"We're operating at the moment according to the mission we received from the political echelon. We're acting in a limited area that is focusing on the villages right by the border," they explained.
-ABC News' Ian Pannell and Dana Savir
Oct 1, 4:17 AM
IDF claims Hezbollah was planning 'invasion' of Israel
Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israeli troops were engaged in "limited and targeted raids" in southern Lebanon as of Tuesday morning, alleging that Hezbollah was planning "an Oct. 7-style invasion" into Israeli homes.
"Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases," Hagari said. "Hezbollah planned to invade Israel, attack Israeli communities and massacre innocent men, women and children."
"I want to make it clear: our war is with Hezbollah, not with the people of Lebanon," Hagari continued. "We do not want to harm Lebanese civilians, and we're taking measures to prevent that."
More than 700 people were killed by an intensified Israeli airstrike campaign across Lebanon last week. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 95 people killed and 172 people by strikes on Monday. Israeli bombing continued overnight into Tuesday morning, including in the capital Beirut.
-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Somayeh Malekian and Ellie Kaufman
Oct 1, 4:00 AM
UK charters flight for citizens in Lebanon, urges Britons to 'leave now'
The British government announced Monday that it chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for citizens wishing to leave the country.
British nationals, their spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 are eligible, a Foreign Office press release said. "Vulnerable" citizens will be prioritized, it added.
The flight is scheduled to depart Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the situation in the country "is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly."
"The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority," he added.
"That's why the U.K. 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."
-ABC News' David Brennan
