Middle East crisis live: Israel launches small raids across Lebanon as defence minister says ‘next phase’ of war will ‘begin soon’ | Lebanon

Summary of the day so far

US state department spokesperson Matthew Miller says Washington wants to ultimately see a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Miller says the US “of course” continues to support a ceasefire but, he says sometimes people “either misinterpret or have their own version of what a ceasefire is.”

A ceasefire is not one side in a conflict unilaterally putting down its arms and stopping the conflict. It is an agreement for both sides to stop the conflict. In this case, what we have proposed is a 21 day ceasefire where both sides would stop attacking the other and we would reach a diplomatic resolution.

He says the US will continue to engage with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts to reach that objective. Miller adds:

Military pressure can, at times, enable diplomacy. Of course, military pressure can also lead to miscalculation. It can lead to unintended consequences, and we’re in conversations with Israel about all these factors now.

The US state department’s spokesperson, Matthew Miller, is holding a briefing with reporters.

Miller says the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, and other senior US officials have been monitoring and responding to “unfolding events in the Middle East” over the weekend.

He says he will let Israel “speak to its own military operations”, including the “timing, purpose, tempo of those” operations”. He adds that the US has been engaged in conversations with Israel about those operations.

About reports about Israeli ground operations in Lebanon, Miller says:

We’ve had some conversations with them about that. They have told us that those are limited operations focused on Hezbollah infrastructure near the border, but we’re in continuous conversations with them about it.

Israeli military says it is ‘preparing for next steps in fighting’

Israel launches small raids across Lebanon border with larger ground operation planned – report

Benjamin Netanyahu issued a warning to Iran on Monday that there was nowhere in the Middle East beyond Israel’s reach, two days after Israel’s military killed the leader of the Iranian-backed Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.

In a video address, Netanyahu said Israel’s enemy was the Iranian government, not the Iranian people, and that when the government fell, its people would be better off.

Yemen’s Houthis say they will escalate military operations against Israel

The Pentagon said an unspecified number of American troops have been put on prepare to deploy orders. Pentagon spokesperson Sabrina Singh told reporters on Monday:

[US secretary of state Lloyd] Austin increased the readiness of additional US forces to deploy, elevating our preparedness to respond to various contingencies. I’m just not going to get into specifics for [operational security] reasons, but these forces cover a wide range of capabilities and missions.

The US and Israel are still in discussions “about the best way forward”, Singh said in response to questions about whether Israel was planning a ground invasion in Lebanon. She said:

We’re continuing to engage with them, trying to learn more. We continue discussions on the best way forward.

Syria’s foreign minister, Bassam Sabbagh, has warned that Israel’s strikes in Lebanon, Gaza, the occupied Golan Heights and his own country are propelling the region to the edge of perilous “escalation and confrontation”.

Sabbagh was addressing the UN general assembly on Monday, where he urged all countries to work toward ending “Israeli aggression” and to hold Israel accountable, AP reported.

The Syrian minister accused the US and other, unnamed nations of giving Israel “immunity, impunity, and unlimited support”. Sabbagh said:

This large-scale Israeli aggression, which is unfettered by any restrictions and limitations, is pushing the region to the brink of a dangerous escalation and confrontation whose consequences cannot be predicted.

The US has observed positioning of Israeli troops that suggests that a ground incursion into Lebanon could be imminent, a US official has told Reuters.

The official declined to offer further details on the posture of Israeli forces and declined further comment, according to Reuters.

Netanyahu to convene Israel’s security cabinet for evening meeting

Israel appears ready to mount a limited ground invasion of southern Lebanon, the Washington Post is reporting, citing a US official.

According to the paper, the US official said it had looked like Israel was planning a major ground invasion. But the plan now appears to have been “significantly scaled down”, the paper writes.

The Israeli plan in southern Lebanon will be focused on “clearing out Hezbollah infrastructure near Israeli border communities”, including “destroying Hezbollah tunnels, rocket launchers, weapons caches and other infrastructure”, the US official said.

Israel has indicated that they would conduct “limited raids in a number of villages along the border”, the US official said, citing discussions within the Biden administration over the weekend.

Israel will then pull its forces back, the US official said. The Israeli strategic purpose is to “ensure that Hezbollah cannot sustain its capacity to attack Israeli communities on the other side of the border”, the paper wrote.

The paper quoted an Israeli familiar with military deliberations who corroborated the US official’s account. The Israeli source said:

Israel has plans for a limited operation that will be imminent. They are in line with the Americans. The understanding is that they are not going to do another Gaza.

As we reported earlier, Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant, appeared to hint on Monday at a possible ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon.

Gallant, in a video statement, told armoured corps near the border with Lebanon that Israel will do whatever it takes to return its citizens to evacuated communities on its northern border safely.

Here’s a clip of Gallant’s statement:

Air France is suspending flights between Paris and Tel Aviv, and between Paris and Beirut, until 8 October due to concerns over the regional security situation, according to the airline.

Hezbollah said it fired a “Nour Missile” at Israel, which sources familiar with the Shia militant group told Reuters is a ballistic missile.

It was the first time they have used the missile, the statement said.

The missile hit the village of Kafr Giladi in northern Israel, the Hezbollah statement said, adding that it had fired it in response to “Israeli violations of cities, villages, and civilians.”