Israel ‘ready’ to invade Lebanon as strikes on Hezbollah kill 492 in one day — latest

The president of Ireland, Michael D Higgins, accused the Israeli embassy in Dublin of circulating a letter he wrote to Iran’s president, Masoud Pezeshkian, after Mr Pezeshkian’s election.

The letter, which offered congratulations and expressed condolences over the death of Mr Pezeshkian’s predecessor, drew criticism — both in the UK and Ireland — once it became public. “You should ask where the criticism came from and how the letter was circulated and by whom and for what purpose,” Mr Higgins said.

He suggested the Israeli embassy was responsible for circulating it, something the embassy denied, calling his accusation “baseless” and “highly inflammatory and potentially slanderous”.

His letter to Mr Pezeshkian mentioned that Iran had a “crucial role” to play in the Middle East after Ebrahim Raisi’s death in a helicopter crash in May.

“I regret of course the circumstances that brought about the election, and take the opportunity to repeat the condolences of the people of Ireland for the death of your predecessor President Raisi,” the letter read.

Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a plan to evacuate Palestinian civilians from northern Gaza and impose a military siege on Hamas militants who remain in the area.

The plan, endorsed by some Israeli military figures, suggests designating the area as a “closed military zone” and forcing all civilians to leave, The Guardian reported.

The Likud MP Avichai Boaron said the plan was ‘‘currently being evaluated by the government”.

“According to the plan, the IDF will evacuate all the civilians who are in the north of Gaza, from the border to the Gaza River,” Boaron was quoted as saying by the outlet. ‘‘And after they will evacuate, the IDF will assume that only the terrorists will remain. When the civilian population has left, you can find and kill all the terrorists without harming the civilians.”

The goal is said to be to isolate and target Hamas fighters without civilian casualties, pressuring them to surrender or face starvation.

Israeli military spokesperson Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said that the Israeli Defense Forces are fully prepared for a ground invasion of Lebanon if necessary.

While reiterating that Israel is “not looking for wars”, Hagari emphasised that the army will take all necessary steps to secure the northern border and ensure the safe return of citizens.

“The army is in full readiness, and we will do whatever is necessary to bring back home all our citizens to the northern border safely,” he said during a televised press conference.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on southern Lebanon on Monday rose to 492 people, including 90 women and children. Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister condemned the attacks as “genocide in every sense of the word”.

Hagari defended the IDF’s actions, saying efforts are made to avoid civilian casualties, while also highlighting that many of those killed were Hezbollah militants. The IDF claimed to have hit 1,300 Hezbollah targets in Lebanon within the past 24 hours.

Iran’s new president, Masoud Pezeshkian, accused Israel of provoking war in the Middle East during his first official visit to the US.

“We know more than anyone else that if a larger war were to erupt in the Middle East, it will not benefit anyone throughout the world. It is Israel that seeks to create this wider conflict,” he said.

He expressed frustration over Israel’s actions, especially the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran.

“There is no winner in warfare, everyone loses in war and conflict. We are only deluding ourselves if we think someone will be victorious in a regional war.”

He added: “Every day Israel is committing more atrocities and killing more and more people – old, young, men, women, children, hospitals, other facilities.”

Mr Pezeshkian also criticised the West for its double standards on human rights and reaffirmed Iran’s commitment to nuclear talks, denying any missile supplies to Russia during his presidency.

“We are prepared, and if the other parties are also prepared, we can have another beginning of the talks during this trip,” he said.

He also dismissed claims that Iran funds anti-Israel protests.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sent a video message to the people of Lebanon urging them to heed IDF warnings and evacuate their homes after airstrikes killed 274. He said: “I have a message for the people of Lebanon: Israel’s war is not with you. It’s with Hezbollah. For too long, Hezbollah has been using you as human shields.

“It placed rockets in your living rooms and missiles in your garage. Those rockets and missiles are aimed directly at our cities, directly at our citizens.

“To defend our people against Hezbollah strikes, we must take out those weapons.

“Starting this morning, the IDF has warned you to get out of harm’s way.

“I urge you – take this warning seriously. Don’t let Hezbollah endanger your lives and the lives of your loved ones. Don’t let Hezbollah endanger Lebanon.

“Please, get out of harm’s way now.

“Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”

Israeli airstrikes on Lebanon resulted in 492 deaths on Monday, including 90 women and children, in the deadliest attack since the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war.

Israel says its strikes are targeting Hezbollah, which has launched thousands of rockets into Israel.

Israel warned Lebanese civilians to evacuate, with prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu urging them to “get out of harm’s way”.

He asked residents to “take this warning seriously”.“Please get out of harm’s way now,” Mr Netanyahu said. “Once our operation is finished, you can come back safely to your homes.”

Israel’s military spokesman, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, said the army will do “whatever is necessary” to push Hezbollah from Lebanon’s border with Israel.

Rear Admiral Hagari claimed Monday’s widespread airstrikes had inflicted heavy damage on Hezbollah.

But he would not give a timeline for the ongoing operation and said Israel was prepared to launch a ground invasion of Lebanon if needed.

“We are not looking for wars. We are looking to take down the threats,” he said. “We will do whatever is necessary to do to achieve this mission. We hope to do it as shortly as we can.”

Rear Admiral Hagari said Hezbollah has launched some 9,000 rockets and drones into Israel since last October, including 250 on Monday alone.

Hamas’ armed wing, al-Qassam Brigades, said that its field commander in southern Lebanon, Mahmoud al Nader, was killed in an Israeli strike on Lebanon on Monday.

Israel is bombing targets across many parts of Lebanon, striking senior militants in Beirut and apparently hiding bombs in pagers and walkie-talkies. Hezbollah is firing rockets and drones deep into northern Israel, setting buildings and cars alight.

But no one is calling it a war — not yet.

Israeli officials say they are not seeking war with Hezbollah and that it can be avoided if the militant group halts its attacks and backs away from the border. Hezbollah also says it doesn’t want a war but is prepared for one — and that it will keep up the strikes on Israel that it began in the wake of ally Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack until there is a cease-fire in Gaza.

Israel and Hezbollah have repeatedly traded fire since then — but the intensity rose to another level Monday, when Israeli airstrikes killed more than 350 people, according to Lebanese officials. That would make it the deadliest day in Lebanon since Israel and Hezbollah last went to war in 2006.

“If someone had told me or most analysts in summer 2023 that Hezbollah is striking Israeli bases in Israel, and Israel is striking southern Lebanon and parts of southern Beirut, I would have said, OK, that’s an all-out war,” said Andreas Krieg, a military analyst at King’s College London.

The term hasn’t yet been applied to the current conflict because “there haven’t been any boots on the ground,” but that might be “the wrong metric,” he added.