ISREAL DEFENCE SENT PUT A WARNING LATE

The UK government has chartered a commercial flight to help Britons and their dependents leave Lebanon, Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said.

British nationals and their spouse or partner, and children under the age of 18 are eligible, with vulnerable people being given priority. The flight is scheduled to leave Beirut on Wednesday.

The UK government will pay to charter the flight, which will depart from Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport, but British nationals will be expected to pay a fee of £350 per seat.

British nationals and dependants will be eligible to request a space on the flight. Any non-British dependants boarding the flight will require a visa, granted for at least six months, to enter the UK.

Any further flights in the coming days will depend on demand and the security situation on the ground, the Foreign office said.

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Anna Foster
Reporting from Beirut

For those who remain in Dahieh - the Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut’s southern suburbs - it’s becoming a familiar message.

The IDF sent out a fresh warning late this evening, external that residents of three areas needed to evacuate. It meant Israeli air strikes were coming, and less than an hour later we heard two separate attacks.

The second was the louder, a long boom rumbling around the capital, the sound echoing and bouncing off the tall buildings around us.

As I write this update, we hear a third strike. Once again, it’s a tense and frightening night for people in the capital, some of whom are still sleeping out on the streets.

A BBC reporter on the ground in Beirut says they have heard the sound of fresh strikes in the last half hour.

The loud blasts come after the Israel Defense Forces ordered residents to evacuate three areas in southern Beirut "immediately" earlier this evening.

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Jerusalem

Israel's much anticipated ground offensive into southern Lebanon feels almost imminent.

The Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said as much earlier today as he met with troops on the border.

But the scale and scope of any operation is not clear. It may be incremental and limited to certain areas, rather than a full scale invasion across the entire frontier.

How deep Israeli forces will look to push into Lebanese territory is also uncertain. And they will likely face stiff resistance.

While much of Hezbollah’s leadership has been decimated in recent days, the Iranian backed militia still maintains tens of thousands of heavily armed, well trained fighters.

The Israel Defense Forces has ordered residents to evacuate three areas in southern Beirut "immediately".

In a post on social media, the IDF's Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee says: "You are located near interests and facilities belonging to the terrorist Hezbollah, and therefore the IDF will act against them forcefully.

Alongside a series of maps, external pointing to specified buildings, he adds: "For your safety and the safety of your family, you must evacuate the buildings immediately, starting at a distance of no less than 500 meters."

Mallory Moench
Live reporter

Image source,Reuters

People in Lebanon don't know "where is safe or not", Doctors without Borders’ Lebanon director of communications, Jinane Saad, tells the BBC, after an Israeli strike hit Kola overnight. It appeared to be the first hit outside of Hezbollah stronghold area Dahieh.

“What is safe today might not be safe in an hour or tomorrow,” she says.

​​She fled her home near Dahieh on Friday night after receiving evacuation orders. Her family had already left south Lebanon two weeks ago.

“We felt it was either a nightmare or an apocalypse,” she says.

​​She says the mass displacement “is something we have never seen before”, even in the 2006 war in Lebanon.

​​She is now staying with her parents in a relative’s house. Many people are sleeping in their cars or outside, Saad says, adding that some have lost their incomes and can’t afford a house or hotel, and are in need of food, hygiene supplies, mattresses, and water.

“People have almost nothing,” she says.

The county was already suffering from an economic crisis, so capacity is limited, she says. ​​Her organisation is running mobile clinic, providing mental health support and water.

​​She calls for civilians, health workers, and humanitarian workers to be protected.

Tom Bateman
State Department correspondent

Back now to the US State Department briefing we brought you a little earlier.

Referring to Israeli ground operations into Lebanon, spokesman Matthew Miller said the Israelis had told them about a number of operations describing these as having a “limited” focus on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border.

US officials won’t comment on reports that a wider Israeli incursion may be imminent. Asked by the BBC about whether Washington’s repeated calls for restraint over the past fortnight had been ignored by Israel, Miller said Israel was justified to kill Hasan Nasrallah.

But pressed about the numbers of civilians killed and displaced over the last fortnight, he said that while the military activity could enable diplomacy - it could also lead to miscalculation and unintended consequences, adding that the US was still trying to deescalate tensions.

What’s changed since the ground war in 2006?published at 20:39 British Summer Time 30 September

20:39 BST 30 September

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

A lot. For a start, the Israeli military is a lot more capable and equipped with far better intelligence than it had when it went charging into south Lebanon in 2006.

It is also facing an enemy that has just had most of its leadership assassinated, its communications sabotaged and large numbers of its weapons and ammo dumps destroyed by air strikes.

But thousands of Hezbollah fighters remain, they are burning for revenge and they have been telling the world they welcome the chance to fight Israel on their home turf.

They will likely retain some powerful and sophisticated weapons like Russian-made anti-tank missiles that can take on an Israeli Merkava IV tank.

The former Israeli intelligence officer, Avi Melamed, told me: "Unlike in 2006 an Israeli ground incursion will now be facing a battle-hardened and trained Hezbollah fighting force seasoned from supporting Bashar Al-Assad’s forces in the Syrian Civil War."

He believes they will "enjoy some level of home field advantage".

Conversely, he points out that in Syria, Hezbollah enjoyed the benefit of Russian air cover. "Israel’s air superiority," he says, ‘will be something new for them".

Image source,EPA

UN peacekeepers in Lebanon can no longer patrol border areas in the south due to heavy artillery fire from Israeli forces and Hezbollah, according to a UN spokesman.

In a media briefing, Stephane Dujarric - spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres - says the peacekeeping force of more than 10,000 personnel "remain in position" but can't carry out road patrols due to "the intensity of the rockets going back and forth".

Dujarric says some civilian staff "have been moved north" as a precaution and "we're looking at the situation hour by hour".

The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has been stationed in Lebanon since 1978.

The force increased its presence in Lebanon under the UN's Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted - but never properly implemented - to end the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006.

It helps the Lebanese government and armed forces patrol the area south of the Litani River, which is about 30km (20 miles) from the border with Israel.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Back now to the situation in Lebanon where the country faces a tense wait tonight, as an Israeli invasion of southern Lebanon feels almost inevitable.

For three days, officials in Israel have been saying that their campaign against Hezbollah will continue, even after the killing of the group’s leader Hassan Nasrallah.

Hezbollah is vowing to resist. Earlier, its number two, Naim Qassem, made his first public speech since Nasrallah’s assassination.

Fighters, he said, were ready to confront any ground invasion, and Israel would not achieve its goals.

He was, unsurprisingly, defiant. This is a group that has been weakened after two weeks of widespread airstrikes and assassinations that decimated its leadership. But it has not been defeated.

Hezbollah still has a vast arsenal of sophisticated weapons, including precision guided missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel, and thousands of battle-hardened fighters.

It remains unclear if the group can organise any kind of coordinated response.

Already exhausted, Lebanon fears what may come next. Hospitals are already under pressure with the sheer number of casualties from Israeli attacks, and an estimated one million people have already been displaced.

The next chapter in this conflict is full of risks.

Image source,Reuters

More from Lammy now who says he spoke with Iran's foreign minister last week and urged the country to show "restraint".

"As you would expect, over the coming hours we will continue to be in touch with Iran."

As a reminder, Hezbollah - which is designated as a terrorist organisation by Western states, Israel and Gulf Arab states - is backed by Iran.

Speaking about the death of Hezbollah's leader Hassan Nasrallah, Lammy says he doesn't "mourn the death of the head of a proscribed terrorist organisation, but I do mourn the civilians that have lost their lives in the bloodshed over the last few days".

He says this is why countries have come together and are calling for an "immediate ceasefire" and a "political solution" for Israelis to return to their homes in northern Israel and for Lebanese people to return home in southern Lebanon.

We're now hearing from UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy on the situation in Israel and Lebanon.

Lammy says he's just spoken to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and that both of them agree "the best way forward" is an immediate ceasefire and reaching a "political solution".

He urges UK nationals to leave Lebanon, saying help has been provided already to do this, such as getting people on to flights.

Lammy adds that plans are in place to help British nationals leave the country but that the UK cannot "anticipate" the circumstances if things "escalate in the coming hours and days".

Image source,EPA

We've just finished hearing from US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller, who took questions from reporters in Washington.

Here's what we learned:

• The department has been "engaged in conversations" with Israel about "limited operations" near the border with Lebanon, but Miller said he would leave Israel to speak about its own plans
• The US still wants a diplomatic resolution to the conflict, Miller said, adding the US still supports the 21-day ceasefire proposal brought forward by 12 allies last week
• Miller said sometimes military pressure can help "enable diplomacy", but it can also lead to "miscalculation and unintended consequences"; Israel has the right to defend itself, but it should do it in a way that "avoids miscalculation", he said
• It is a "unalloyed good for the region and the world" that Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah has been killed, Miller said, adding that Lebanon has been held back by Hezbollah's influence
• The US is worried about the humanitarian impact of the conflict, and is in the early stages of planning to provide aid to the region
• Asked if Israel is ignoring calls for restraint, Miller said the US would continue efforts to de-escalate tensions, but that ultimately Israel is a sovereign country that is "going to make these decisions for itself"

Israel's military has declared parts of its northern border a "closed military zone".

Entry to Metula, Misgav Am, and Kfar Giladi in northern Israel is prohibited, the Israel Defense Forces says in a short update.

Image source,Reuters

During the briefing, the State Department spokesperson took a question from the BBC's Tom Bateman who asked whether Israel has ignored the US's calls for restraint.

Spokesman Matthew Miller replied that the killing of Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah was "ultimately something that's good for the country" and the US certainly doesn't want to see any civilians harmed.

He repeated that military pressure can "enable diplomacy" but it can also lead to "unintended consequences" and "miscalculations".

He said the US would continue to engage with Israel to try to de-escalate tensions, but adds that Israel is a sovereign country "that is going to make these decisions for itself".

In the last few minutes, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller has been giving a briefing to reporters.

He says Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other senior department officials have been monitoring and responding to "unfolding events in the Middle East" over the weekend.

Blinken spoke to his French counterpart yesterday about ongoing efforts to de-escalate tensions in the region and he'll be speaking to other counterparts today, he says.

Miller adds that the US "supports Israel's right to defend itself against terrorism" and at the same time, it ultimately wants a "diplomatic resolution" to conflict in the Middle East.

00:14

US President Joe Biden has repeated his call for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

It comes after a US official confirmed to the BBC's US partner CBS following reports that Israel was planning a ground incursion into Lebanon as soon as Monday.

At a Washington DC press conference, the president was asked if he was aware of, and comfortable with, Israel's plan to launch a "limited operation into Lebanon".

Biden replied: "I am more aware than you might know and I'm comfortable with them stopping."

He added: "We should have a ceasefire, now."

Israel has notified the United States it intends to launch a limited ground incursion into Lebanon, US officials said.

The operation could start as soon as Monday, an official told the BBC's US partner CBS.

Israel's defence minister earlier implied the army was preparing for a ground incursion into southern Lebanon.

Yoav Gallant told troops near the Lebanese border they were prepared to use forces "from the air, sea, and land" to target Hezbollah.

Hezbollah's deputy leader said it was ready for an Israeli ground offensive, just days after Israel assassinated the group's leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in Beirut.

We're bringing you live updates on this story, with analysis from our correspondents across the region.