Hezbollah rocket attack on Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv: Latest updates

Hezbollah has claimed it attacked the headquarters of the intelligence agency Mossad in response to Israel’s ground invasion of southern Lebanon.

The Lebanese terrorist group “Fadi-4” reportedly fired rockets at the Glilot base near Herzliya, missing the IDF military intelligence unit and the Mossad headquarters.

A road has been blocked after being hit by a rocket, according to the Magen David Adom rescue service in Israel. Emergency services said they treated two people at the scene, including a bus driver who was hit by shrapnel and another motorist.

Clashes on the ground denied

Reuters reported that the head of Hezbollah’s media office, Mohammad Afif, said on Tuesday morning that no Israeli troops had entered Lebanese territory. In a written statement, Afif said Hezbollah had not engaged in “direct ground combat” with Israeli troops but was prepared to do so.

Accordingly NBCan unnamed Israeli security official confirmed around the same time Afif released his statement that Israeli troops had not yet clashed with any Hezbollah forces. The official said troops remained “within walking distance” of the border.

“I can tell you this is not a major ground invasion,” he reportedly said. “These local raids that we are conducting are very limited in scope and area of ​​operation. Therefore, there are no clashes at the moment.”

Lebanon’s caretaker prime minister asks for help

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati met with UN agencies and ambassadors from donor countries, according to the Lebanese National News Agency.

It quoted Mikati as saying: “We meet today at a time when Lebanon is facing one of the most dangerous phases in its history, as approximately one million of our people have been displaced due to Israel’s devastating war against Lebanon.”

He continued: “We are working diligently in collaboration with the UN institutions to secure the basic needs of the displaced Lebanese, as we have done throughout the difficult periods that Lebanon has been through… today we urgently appeal for more support “Improving our ongoing efforts to provide vital assistance to displaced civilians.”

Israel declares ground operation

Israeli forces began a “limited, local” operation in southern Lebanon against Hezbollah on Tuesday.

The IDF has declared its intention to carry out “targeted ground strikes” in villages near the Israeli border, targets it said pose an “immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel.”

Since October 8 last year, there have been almost daily firefights between Israel and Hezbollah across the border with Lebanon. There were reports from journalists in Tel Aviv on X (formerly Twitter) that projectiles were intercepted in the city and elsewhere in central Israel on Tuesday morning.

Evacuation order for southern Lebanon

AP filed a report on Tuesday saying the Israeli military had ordered the evacuation of 30 Lebanese villages near its border. Residents were ordered to travel 35 miles north to the Awali River.

The midday announcement came after the Israelis told residents not to move further south beyond the Litani River, about 20 miles from the line separating Lebanon and Israel.

Peacekeepers warned

Reuters reports that the UN peacekeeping force in Lebanon, Unifil, announced on Tuesday that the IDF had previously announced its intention to conduct “limited ground operations.”

According to the report, Unifil said peacekeepers remained in position despite developments in Lebanon.

Warning of IDF human shield

The Israeli military has advised Lebanese civilians in southern Lebanon to refrain from driving in areas south of the Litani River until further notice.

“There is intense fighting in southern Lebanon, with Hezbollah operatives using the civilian environment and you as a human shield to organize to carry out attacks,” Col. Avichay Adraee, the IDF spokesman, posted in Arabic on X in Arabic , as reported in English by Azerbaijani news agency news.az.

“For your safety, we ask you to avoid vehicle movements from the north to the south of the Litani River. “This warning applies until further notice,” he is said to have said.

The Lebanese Prime Minister speaks out

According to an AFP report, Lebanon’s prime minister said on Tuesday his country was in “one of the most dangerous periods in its history” and called on the United Nations to provide aid to a million people currently displaced by Israeli airstrikes.

“Around one million of our people have been displaced due to the devastating war Israel is waging against Lebanon. “We urgently call for more assistance to strengthen our ongoing efforts to provide essential support to displaced civilians,” he added at a meeting with UN officials.

UN declaration

UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell has released a statement on the situation in Lebanon.

She said: “I am deeply concerned about the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Lebanon. At least 80 children were reportedly killed and hundreds more injured in attacks last week. According to government reports, the number of people internally displaced by the violence has risen to over 1 million – including over 300,000 children.”

“Thousands of children and families are now living on the streets or in emergency shelters; many have fled their homes without basic supplies and belongings. Humanitarian conditions are deteriorating by the hour…UNICEF continues to call for an urgent cessation of hostilities.”

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