Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said his country was facing “one of the most dangerous phases of its history” amid Israel’s ground incursion into southern Lebanon, which began late Monday.
The Israeli military pressed its ground incursion into southern Lebanon on Tuesday, calling the operations “limited incursions” that are targeting Hezbollah militants.
Israeli commandos are currently conducting a raid inside southern Lebanon, and there are indications that Israel may send more forces into the area, a senior U.S. official told NPR.
The first apparent Israeli airstrike on central Beirut in nearly a year of conflict leveled an apartment building early Monday. It came after Israel hit targets across Lebanon and killed dozens of people.
NPR steps back and takes a closer look at the days leading up to the killing of Hezbollah's leader. Experts say this development has transformed an already complex and deadly conflict.
Under his leadership, Hezbollah, funded by Iran, became one of the most powerful militias in the Middle East, boasting a military force stronger even than the Lebanese army.
With Hassan Nasrallah dead in Israeli airstrikes, the Iran-backed militant group is facing enormous challenges as the region is yet again thrown into uncertainty.
The Israeli military said it carried out an airstrike on the headquarters of Hezbollah in Beirut, shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations.
In a fiery speech at the United Nations General Assembly, the Israeli prime minister said his country would is "winning" and would attack Iran and its proxies anywhere in the Middle East.
The trade of cross-border missiles came after the deadliest day of conflict in Lebanon since 2006. Lebanon’s health ministry said on Tuesday that 558 people have been killed.
The series of explosions that rocked Lebanon this week, killing dozens and wounding thousands, has prompted debate among legal experts on international humanitarian law.
