Israel-Lebanon latest: Israel begins ground offensive in Lebanon as evacuation of military orders in Beirut

The White House said there would be no change in American support for Israel in response to the start of what it described as a limited ground offensive in Lebanon even as President Joe Biden called on the Israeli government to consider “halting” the operation and its advice. that a cease-fire deal is in place “now.”

Biden commented on the plan when asked by reporters after saying on Monday that he was leading the federal response to Hurricane Helene.

Asked if he knew or was comfortable with Israel’s plans, Biden replied: “I know better than you know, and I’m comfortable with them stopping.”

“We have to have a ceasefire now,” he said.

The Israeli military said it had begun a “limited, localized” operation in southern Lebanon.

At least two Katyusha rockets were fired at a military base hosting US troops near Baghdad International Airport, two Iraqi military officials told Reuters early Tuesday.

Air defense intercepted the rocket, he added.

The British government has chartered planes out of Lebanon for Britons who want to leave for fear of a wider conflict.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy described the situation in Lebanon as “volatile” and with the “potential to quickly deteriorate” because of the flight, which left Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday, confirmed.

Earlier on Monday night, Mr Lammy reiterated his call for Britons in Lebanon to leave as he said the Government would do “everything possible” to help those fleeing.

British nationals and their spouses, partners and children under 18 are eligible for the flights, and vulnerable people will be given priority.

Mr Lammy chaired a ministerial meeting of Cobra’s emergency committee on Monday to discuss the crisis.

There are about 5,000 British nationals in Lebanon and the Government says it is working on “all contingency options”.

British military assets have been sent to Cyprus and the eastern Mediterranean in case an evacuation is required, although ministers and officials have insisted that Britons must leave immediately.

On Monday, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Sir Keir Starmer had been “very clear” that Britons “need to leave now, especially while commercial flights are still available”.

It is understood that around 15 spaces for British nationals have been secured on flights arriving on Sunday, and 40 more on flights due to depart on Tuesday.

The spokeswoman said the focus was on “securing extra space on commercial flights for those who want to go and repeating the call for them to go and register their presence with us and book the first available flight”.

The Israeli military has issued an evacuation order in Beirut as a security source said an Israeli attack hit the southern outskirts of the Lebanese capital overnight.

At least six Israeli attacks occurred in the south of Beirut, a Lebanese security source said on Friday, with a Reuters reporter seeing a flash of light and hearing a loud explosion about an hour after the Israeli military had warned residents to evacuate the area near the building he said. contains Hezbollah’s infrastructure south of the Lebanese capital.

Continuous explosions were heard in the Lebanese capital after midnight on Tuesday, Reuters witnesses said, as the Israeli military carried out an attack on the southern outskirts of the city.

A large cloud of smoke can be seen in the live broadcast of Reuters.

Hezbollah has been targeting Israeli troop movements from Lebanese border towns, the group said in a statement issued early Tuesday.

At least two Israeli strikes hit Beirut’s southern suburbs late Monday, security sources said, with Reuters reporters seeing two flashes of light and hearing loud explosions coming from the neighborhood.

The Israeli military had warned an hour earlier that it would attack certain buildings in the normally densely populated southern suburbs, saying the armed group Hezbollah was using them as facilities and telling residents to leave.

Many residents have fled the area in the days following the Israeli attack, but end up sleeping on the city’s streets as shelters are full.

Families have told Reuters they have struggled to find taxis to get out of the district as quickly as possible.

Fears of a ground invasion have spiked there, with Lebanese troops withdrawing from the border with Israel and US officials saying Israeli soldiers appear ready to enter Lebanon.

The Israeli military issued an urgent warning on Monday for residents of Beirut’s southern suburbs to evacuate because of planned attacks on Hezbollah targets.