Israel invades Lebanon LIVE: Updates as IDF begins ground operation against Hezbollah

Israel has invaded Lebanon sparking fears of an all-out war in the Middle East as Iran watches the IDF go directly after Hezbollah, the militant group it backs

Israel has tonight invaded Lebanon with IDF troops crossing the border and beginning devastating attacks on what it says are Hezbollah targets.

The Israeli military says it has begun a "limited, localised" operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon and says it is carrying out "targeted ground raids" in villages close to the Israeli border. The targets, it said, pose an "immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

It announced early Tuesday that the operation has been planned in recent months and was launched after approval by political leaders.

The escalation has sparked fears of an all-out war in the Middle East.

Follow live updates in our live blog, below

03:00Joseph Wilkes

Iran may be 'prepared to accept a humiliating retreat'

"The Iranian leadership is prepared to accept a humiliating retreat in the face of Israeli strikes in the short term to safeguard the regime in the long run, and this explains Tehran's lack of retaliation so far," said Alex Vatanka, the director of the Iran Program at the Washington-based Middle East Institute.

Iran could encourage more asymmetric attacks, targeting Jewish tourists, synagogues or Israeli diplomatic missions as it has done in the past. Netanyahu issued a warning Monday to Iran likely over that risk, saying: "There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach."

Tehran also could weaponize its nuclear program. It already enriches uranium to near-weapons-grade levels after the collapse of its 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. Hard-line voices within Iran's theocracy, like its daily Kahyan newspaper, already are calling for a response "harsher" than its April attack, which caused very little damage.

That, however, runs directly counter to the plans of Iran's new reformist President Masoud Pezeshkian, who campaigned on a promise to get crushing economic sanctions lifted against Iran. That's grown in importance as energy prices continue to fall and Iran likely sells its oil at a discount due to being locked out of many nations.

If nuclear deal "commitments are implemented fully and in good faith, dialogue on other issues can follow," Pezeshkian told the United Nations General Assembly last week.

Ending the sanctions requires a deal with the West on the nuclear program, something that will become nearly impossible if Iran enters an all-out war with Israel. Relieving that economic pressure remains crucial for Iran's domestic stability as well, as authorities remember the months of protests that followed the 2022 death of Mahsa Amini.

"For the time being it appears the president and the supreme leader, the latter who is abundantly cautious, want to keep the line open to dialogue and negotiations," Vakil said.

And to keep that line open, Iran needs someone else to take the lead against Israel.

02:56Joseph Wilkes

IDF operation is named 'Operation Northern Arrows',

The IDF said its incursion into Lebanon has been named 'Operation Northern Arrows'.

They said it would continue "according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas."

02:17Joseph Wilkes

Will Iran retaliate?

Iran lost its most reliable ally in the Middle East when an Israeli airstrike killed Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. But Iran isn't leading the charge to retaliate.

That's put Tehran in a bind: Not responding could see it alienate the militias it relies on in the region. Meanwhile, any possible retaliation risks a wider war as its theocracy faces intense challenges at home.

"By the grace and power of God, Lebanon will make the transgressing, malicious enemy regret its actions," Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in the wake of Nasrallah's death Friday. But the 85-year-old paramount ruler in Iran gave no mention of his country taking action over the death of a man he once praised as "an exceptional face in the world of Islam" after the Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006.

That reluctance continued into Monday, as Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani told journalists that "the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Iranian people are not after war" but rather "peace and stability in the region."

Though Kananni added that, "any adventurous move or action against our national security or interests and our hands will never be tied," at one point wearing a checkered Palestinian keffiyeh scarf during his remarks. These comments highlight a reticence in responding to Nasrallah's death.

02:03Joseph Wilkes

How long could operation last?

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.

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.

01:26Joseph Wilkes

Israel declares border communities a 'closed military zone'

And in another sign the invasion was imminent, 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.

01:24Joseph Wilkes

IDF says air force and artillery units are dropping bombs and firing missiles to support the ground forces

In a brief announcement, IDF said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to the Israeli border, and that air force and artillery units were carrying out attacks to support the ground forces.

It gave no details on how long the operation would last but said the army had been training and preparing for months.

"A few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localised and targeted ground raids," it said. "These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

The incursion came shortly after it was approved by Israeli political leaders and marked a new stage in Israel's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group.

00:56Joseph Wilkes

IDF tanks enter Lebanese villages

Reports in Lebanon claim IDF tanks have entered villages in the border area.

00:39Joseph Wilkes

'Precise strikes' claim by IDF

The IDF claims the target it is hitting close to the Israeli border with Lebanon currently pose 'an immediate threat to Israeli communities".

The IDF said on Twitter: "The Israeli Air Force and IDF Artillery are supporting the ground forces with precise strikes on military targets in the area."

00:29Joseph Wilkes

Ground raids launched

Earlier, US officials said Israel had launched small ground raids against Hezbollah and sealed off communities along its northern border on Monday as Israeli artillery pounded southern Lebanon.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Israel informed the US about the raids, which he said were described as "limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border."

The sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut and smoke rose from the capital's southern suburbs, where Hezbollah has a strong presence, shortly after Israel ordered residents of three buildings to evacuate.

There were no reports of direct clashes between Israeli troops and Hezbollah militants, who last engaged in ground combat on Lebanese soil during a monthlong war in 2006.

00:20KEY EVENT

IDF begins ground operation in Lebanon opening a new front in its war

The Israeli military tonight has said it had begun a "limited, localised" operation against Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon, opening a new front in its war against the Lebanese militant group.

In a brief announcement, it said it was striking Hezbollah targets in areas close to the Israeli border, and that air force and artillery units were carrying out attacks to support the ground forces. It gave no details on how long the operation would last, but said the army had been training and preparing for months.

"A few hours ago, the IDF began limited, localized and targeted ground raids," it said. "These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel."

The incursion came shortly after it was approved by Israeli political leaders and marked a new stage in Israel's war against Hezbollah, an Iranian-backed militant group.