Iran Preparing Imminent Missile Attack On Israel, US Warns, Pledging 'Severe Consequences' | rssama.com

WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran is preparing to “imminently” motorboat a ballistic rocket onslaught connected Israel, according to a elder U.S. management official, who warned Tuesday of “severe consequences” should it return place.

The official, who said connected nan information of anonymity to talk nan matter, said nan U.S. is actively supporting Israeli protect preparations. This comes aft nan Israeli subject connected Tuesday warned group to evacuate astir 2 twelve Lebanese separator communities hours aft announcing what it said were constricted crushed operations against Hezbollah.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier communicative follows below.

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli subject connected Tuesday warned group to evacuate astir 2 twelve Lebanese separator communities hours aft announcing what it said were constricted crushed operations against Hezbollah.

The militant group denied Israeli troops had entered Lebanon, but hours later nan Israeli service announced it had besides carried retired dozens of crushed raids into confederate Lebanon going backmost astir a year. Israel released video footage purporting to show its soldiers operating successful homes and tunnels wherever Hezbollah kept weapons.

There was nary contiguous confirmation, but if existent it would beryllium different humiliating rustle for Iran-backed Hezbollah, nan astir powerful equipped group successful nan Middle East. Hezbollah has been reeling from weeks of targeted strikes that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and respective of his apical commanders.

Israel advised group to evacuate to nan northbound of nan Awali River, immoderate 60 kilometers (36 miles) from nan separator and overmuch farther than nan Litani River, which marks nan bluish separator of a U.N.-declared zone that was intended to service arsenic a buffer betwixt Israel and Hezbollah aft their 2006 war.

“You must instantly caput northbound of nan Awali River to prevention yourselves, and time off your houses immediately,” said nan connection posted by nan Israeli subject connected nan level X. The informing applied to communities southbound of nan Litani.

The separator region has mostly emptied retired complete nan past twelvemonth arsenic nan 2 sides person traded fire. But nan scope of nan removal informing raised questions arsenic to really heavy Israel plans to nonstop its forces into Lebanon arsenic it presses up pinch a quickly escalating run against Hezbollah.

Anticipating much rocket attacks from Hezbollah, nan Israeli service announced caller restrictions connected nationalist gatherings and closed beaches successful bluish and cardinal Israel.

An Associated Press newsman saw Israeli troops operating adjacent nan separator successful armored trucks, pinch helicopters circling overhead, but could not corroborate crushed forces had crossed into Lebanon.

Ahead of nan Israeli announcement of an incursion, U.S. officials connected Monday said Israel had described launching mini crushed raids wrong Lebanon arsenic it prepared for a wider operation.

Neither nan Lebanese service nor a U.N. peacekeeping unit known arsenic UNIFIL, which patrol confederate Lebanon, person confirmed that Israeli forces entered. UNIFIL said immoderate specified cross-border cognition would beryllium a “dangerous development” and a usurpation of Lebanese sovereignty.

In its first connection since Israel announced nan commencement of crushed operations, Hezbollah spokesperson Mohammed Afif dismissed what he said were “false claims” of an Israeli incursion. He said Hezbollah is fresh for “direct confrontation pinch force forces that situation to aliases effort to participate Lebanon.”

Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari, nan Israeli military’s apical spokesperson, claimed troops were conducting “localized crushed raids” connected Hezbollah positions successful confederate Lebanon to guarantee that Israeli citizens could return to their homes successful nan north.

“We’re not going to Beirut,” he said. “We’re only going to areas adjacent to our separator and will do what is basal to dismantle and demolish Hezbollah infrastructure.”

He said Israel had carried retired dozens of mini raids wrong Lebanon going each nan measurement backmost to Oct. 8, erstwhile Hezbollah began firing rockets into Israel aft nan outbreak of nan warfare successful Gaza.

He said Israeli forces had crossed nan separator to cod accusation and destruct Hezbollah infrastructure, including tunnels and weapons. Israel has said Hezbollah was preparing its ain Oct. 7-style onslaught into Israel. It was not instantly imaginable to corroborate those claims.

An Israeli subject charismatic said troops taking portion successful nan latest incursion were wrong stepping region of nan border, focused connected villages hundreds of meters (yards) from Israel. The official, who said connected information of anonymity successful statement pinch subject regulations, said location had been nary clashes yet pinch Hezbollah fighters.

The Israeli subject was accused of lying to media successful 2021 erstwhile it released a connection implying that crushed troops had entered Gaza. The subject played down nan incident arsenic a misunderstanding, but well-sourced subject commentators successful Israel said it was portion of a ruse to lure Hamas into battle.

Israeli artillery units pounded targets successful confederate Lebanon done nan nighttime and nan sounds of airstrikes were heard passim Beirut.

The Israeli subject charismatic said Hezbollah had launched rockets astatine cardinal Israel, mounting disconnected aerial ambush sirens and wounding a man successful his 50s. Hezbollah said it fired salvos of a caller benignant of medium-range missile, called nan Fadi 4, astatine nan office of 2 Israeli intelligence agencies adjacent Tel Aviv.

Afif, nan Hezbollah spokesman, said nan rocket onslaught “is only nan beginning.”

The Israeli subject charismatic said Hezbollah had besides launched projectiles astatine Israeli communities adjacent nan border, targeting soldiers without wounding anyone.

Hezbollah began firing rockets into bluish Israel soon aft Hamas’ Oct. 7 onslaught into Israel ignited nan warfare successful Gaza. Israel has launched retaliatory airstrikes and nan conflict has steadily escalated. In caller weeks Israel has unleashed a punishing activity of airstrikes crossed ample parts of Lebanon.

Hagari said nan U.N. Security Council solution that ended nan past Israel-Hezbollah warfare successful 2006 had not been enforced and that confederate Lebanon was “swarming pinch Hezbollah terrorists and weapons.”

That solution had called for Hezbollah to retreat from nan area betwixt nan separator and nan Litani River and for nan Lebanese service and U.N. peacekeepers to patrol nan region. Israel says those and different provisions were ne'er enforced. Lebanon has agelong accused Israel of violating different position of nan resolution.

Lebanon’s Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday that his state is consenting to deploy nan service successful support of nan solution if location is simply a cease-fire. Lebanon’s equipped forces would not beryllium capable to enforce an statement connected nan acold much powerful Hezbollah.

The subject statements indicated that Israel mightiness attraction its crushed cognition connected nan constrictive portion on nan border, alternatively than launching a larger penetration aimed astatine destroying Hezbollah, arsenic it has done successful Gaza against nan Palestinian Hamas.

Hezbollah and Hamas are adjacent friends backed by Iran, and each escalation complete nan past twelvemonth has raised fears of a wider warfare successful nan Middle East that could tie successful Iran and nan United States, which has rushed subject assets to nan region successful support of Israel.

The incursion follows weeks of dense blows by Israel against Hezbollah — including an airstrike that killed its longtime leader Nasrallah — and seeks to measurement up nan unit connected nan group.

There was nary connection connected really agelong nan cognition would last.

Over 1,000 group person been killed successful Lebanon successful Israeli strikes complete nan past 2 weeks, astir a 4th of them women and children, according to nan Health Ministry. Hundreds of thousands of group person fled their homes.

Hezbollah is simply a well-trained militia, believed to person tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The past information of fighting successful 2006 ended successful a stalemate, and some sides person spent nan past 2 decades preparing for their adjacent showdown.

Recent airstrikes wiping retired astir of Hezbollah’s apical activity and nan explosions of hundreds of pagers and walkie-talkies belonging to Hezbollah bespeak that Israel has infiltrated heavy wrong nan group’s precocious echelons.

Hezbollah vowed Monday to support fighting moreover aft its caller losses. The group’s acting leader, Naim Kassem, said successful a televised connection Monday that Hezbollah commanders killed successful caller weeks person already been replaced.

European countries person begun pulling their diplomats and citizens retired of Lebanon. A British government-chartered formation is owed to time off Beirut connected Wednesday to evacuate U.K. nationals. The U.K. has besides sent 700 troops to a guidelines successful nan adjacent land federation of Cyprus to hole for a imaginable removal of nan estimated 5,000 British citizens successful Lebanon.

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Mroue reported from Beirut. Associated Press writer Kareem Chehayeb successful Beirut contributed.

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This communicative corrects nan sanction of Hezbollah spokeman.

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