Summary
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Iran will "pay", after Iran fired around 180 missiles at Israel on Tuesday
Most of the missiles were intercepted - one Palestinian was killed in the West Bank, and a school in central Israel and areas near Tel Aviv were hit
Israel says it's sending "additional forces" to its ground operation inside Lebanon, which began earlier this week, and has told more villages to evacuate
Hezbollah says it repelled an Israeli ground attack in Lebanon on Wednesday, and it has continued firing rockets at Israel
In Gaza, the Hamas-run health ministry says Israeli strikes in Khan Younis killed at least 51 people
Jeremy Bowen's analysis: Iran looked like they wanted to do serious damage - so how will Israel respond?
Live Reporting
Edited by Owen Amos and Johanna Chisholm, with Hugo Bachega and Nafiseh Kohnavard in Beirut and Nick Beake in northern Israel
Israeli military reports 'close-range encounters' inside Lebanonpublished at 11:53 British Summer Time
11:53 BSTBreaking
The Israeli military is engaged in "close-range encounters" in southern Lebanon, the IDF says in a new statement, which reports operations in "several areas".
"Forces from the Commando Brigade, including soldiers from the Egoz Unit, located and destroyed a Hezbollah attack infrastructure...
"The troops, in cooperation with the Israeli Air Force, eliminated terrorists and dismantled terrorist infrastructure through precision-guided munitions and close-range engagements."
It adds "more than 150 terror infrastructures" have been destroyed by recent airstrikes.
Hezbollah announces second clash with Israeli soldierspublished at 11:47 British Summer Time
11:47 BSTBreaking
Hezbollah has announced new clashes with Israeli soldiers who “infiltrated” the Lebanese town of Maroun al-Ras.
The town is about 2km (1.2 miles) from the Israel-Lebanon border.
According to Hezbollah, Israeli soldiers entered from the east side, and the fighting is continuing, it said in the past hour.
This is the second direct confrontation with Israeli troops that Hezbollah has claimed today. Earlier, the group said they successfully repelled an Israeli infantry incursion into Lebanon.
We're also getting an update from the Israeli military on fighting inside Lebanon. We'll have that very soon.
Israel bans UN secretary general from countrypublished at 11:31 British Summer Time
11:31 BSTBreaking
Israel's foreign minister says UN Secretary-General António Guterres is "persona non grata" in Israel, and is barred from entering the country.
Israel Katz says his decision is a response to Guterres' failure to "unequivocally condemn" Iran's missile attack on Israel on Tuesday.
He accuses the UN chief of being "anti-Israel" and giving "support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers. Guterres will be remembered as a stain on the history of the UN for generations to come."
Yesterday, the UN chief condemned "the broadening of the Middle East conflict with escalation after escalation" and called for a ceasefire.
In Gaza, Hamas-run health ministry says 51 killed by Israeli attacks on Khan Younispublished at 11:28 British Summer Time
11:28 BST
Moving away from southern Lebanon, here's the latest on Israeli strikes in Gaza.
The Hamas-run health ministry says at least 51 people, including women and children, have been killed in the past day by an Israeli offensive in the Khan Younis area.
One man, from Qizan An-Najjar in the Khan Younis area, said his wife and daughter were injured in an attack for which there was "no prior warning".
"I barely survived; my daughteris injured, and my wife has a head injury that may lead to vision loss. Theycompletely destroyed the House of al-Fara, which was filled with displacedpeople and residents."
Further north in Gaza City, medics told Reuters news agency that 22 were killed when Israel Defense Forces struck a school and the al-Amal orphanage sheltering displaced people.
There, Israel said its air force had carried out precise hits on terrorists operating inside Hamas command and control centres. It claimed Hamas terrorists had been operating in former school compounds.
Three killed in Israeli air strike on border village – Lebanese state mediapublished at 11:17 British Summer Time
11:17 BST
See Also+++ 13:08 Ermöglicht sie Angriffe tiefer im Inneren Russlands? Ukraine hat ballistische Rakete erfolgreich getestet +++What 8 former Fox News stars are doing nowFrom Tucker Carlson to Don Lemon, Here's a List of Fired National News Anchors (Photos)What These Fired Cable News Anchors Are Doing Now - Nicki SwiftLebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reports that three people were killed in an early morning Israeli air strike on the village of Debel, close to the Israeli border.
It also says one person was killed in an Israeli air strike that targeted a town further north, in West Bekaa.
Also, the Lebanese Civil Defense says that since 20:00 last night (22:00 BST) it has recovered four bodies from the southern suburbs of Beirut, rescuing almost 40 injured people.
Greek citizen among those killed in Tel Avivpublished at 11:15 British Summer Time
11:15 BST
Nikos Papanikolaou
BBC NewsFurther to our previous post, a Greek citizen who lives in Jerusalem was among those killed in the gun and knife attack in Tel Aviv yesterday.
According to sources, the victim was a 20-year-old man born in Thessaloniki, Greece.
"We unequivocally condemn yesterday's terrorist attack in TelAviv's Jaffa district," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
Suspects named in deadly Tel Aviv shooting and knife attackpublished at 11:13 British Summer Time
11:13 BST
Israeli authorities have released more details about the deadly stabbing and shooting attack in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, which happened as Iran was carrying out its massive missile attack.
In a joint statement, the Israeli police and the Shin Bet security service said seven Israelis were killed and another 16 injured.
"According to the preliminary investigation, two terrorists entered a light rail train cart that had made a stop, opened fire on passengers, and continued attacking pedestrians on foot until they were neutralised by city patrols and civilians using personal firearms...
"The joint Israel Police and Shin Bet investigation revealed that the terrorists were 19-year-old Muhammad Mask, who was killed at the scene, and 25-year-old Ahmad Haymani, who was critically wounded."
The attackers - both residents of Hebron - had in their possession an M16 rifle, multiple magazines, and a knife, the statement says.
How might Israel retaliate?published at 11:04 British Summer Time
11:04 BST
Frank Gardner
Security correspondentForcefully, itsays. The restraint which its international allies urged on it following theprevious Iranian missile barrage in April is unlikely to be in evidence thistime.
Israel’s current strategy appears to be a two-track one: to eliminate itsenemies through assassinations and air strikes and then deterrence –demonstrating to Iran and its proxies that every attack on Israel will be metwith even greater force.
Former Israeli intelligence officer Avi Melamedsays Iran’s attack "is poised to provoke a significant Israelicounterstrike… we will likely see a significant and immediate response fromIsrael against Iranian targets."
Sowhat will that retaliation look like?
Israel will have long had plans in thedrawer for strikes on Iran. Its defence chiefs will now be assessing when andhow hard to hit the Islamic Republic.
The most obvious military targets are theland bases which launched Tuesday’s volley of ballistic missiles. So, not justthe silos, but the command-and-control centres, even the refuelling facilities. Then there are all Iran's petro-chemical sites.
It could even try to activate its network of agents inside Iran to go afterthose who ordered and carried out the missile attack. Additionally, if Israeldecides to escalate even further, it could target Iran’s nuclear facilities.
Eitherway, an Iranian counter-attack would then be almost inevitable, with bothcountries perpetuating the current cycle of attack and revenge.
Burnt out cars in Tel Aviv show scale of Iranian attackpublished at 11:02 British Summer Time
11:02 BST
Jon Donnison
Reporting from north of Tel AvivWe’ve come to just north of Tel Aviv, Israel’s biggest city, and the site of one of the Iranian ballistic missile strikes.
We’re outside some sort of commercial centre. There are two or three badly damaged cars and right next to the road a big pile of earth.
Last night here, there was a huge crater, maybe 8 to 10 metres deep. It’s already been filled in but you get a sense of the power of the blast.
Israel’s missile defence system did manage to intercept many of the rockets - but plenty still got through.
If any of the almost 200 ballistic missiles fired had hit a residential tower block, a sports stadium or a shopping mall, there could have been scores - possibly hundreds - of casualties.
The headquarters of Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, is close to here so it’s possible that was the target.
The question now, after this unprecedented Iranian attack is how will Israel respond? My colleague Frank Gardner is looking at that next.
What's been happening this morningpublished at 10:39 British Summer Time
10:39 BST
It's been a busy morning sofar, in the aftermath of Iran's massive attack on Israel yesterday:
- "Additional forces" are joining Israel's "limited" ground operation in southern Lebanon, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says
- Hezbollah says they repelled an Israeli ground attack in a southern Lebanon border village on Wednesday - Israel has not commented
- The Israeli military issues new evacuation orders for people in around 25 villages in southern Lebanon, in addition to evacuation orders issued yesterday
- As many as 100 rockets were fired into Israel from Lebanon on Wednesday, Israeli media reports, citing the IDF
- Overnight, Israel's air force continued to strike what it says are Hezbollah targets in Beirut's southern suburbs - with one Lebanese politician describing the repeated barrages as "traumatising"
Khamenei tells West to 'get lost' in first remarks since attack on Israelpublished at 10:17 British Summer Time
10:17 BST
Ghoncheh Habibiazad
BBC MonitoringIran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, met a group of elitesin Tehran today.
He blamed the regional tension and wars on "US and someEuropean countries" which "falsely claim they bring peace andtranquillity to the region".
He said they must "get lost" from the region so that thecountries in the region can live in peace.
He said that he is "mourning" over the death ofHezbollah Leader Hassan Nasrallah, but did not postpone his meeting withelites because Iran's mourning is a "reviving anddriving" force.
The order to launch missiles at Israel on Tuesday was made by the country's supreme leader - who remains in a secure location, a senior Iranian official told Reuters news agency.
What did Iran fire at Israel?published at 10:11 British Summer Time
10:11 BST
Chris Partridge
BBC News weapons analystMore details have been emerging about Iran'sattack, with information coming out of the Pentagon in the United States.
Around 200 missiles were launched and the majorityof them were ballistic, which makes them more difficult to intercept and defeatbecause of their high speed and angled trajectory.
Twiceas many ballistic missiles were fired yesterday compared to Iran's attack inApril, when it launched around 300 weapons at Israel - drones, cruisemissiles (which are slower and have a flatter trajectory)and some ballistic missiles.
Back then some 99% were said to have beensuccessfully intercepted, with minimal damage.
USforces, as well as the UK, were involved inrepelling yesterday’s attack on Israel. PentagonPress Secretary Major General Pat Ryder said two warships launched around adozen interceptors - defence missiles - at ballistic targets.
"Youdon't launch that many missiles at a target without the intent of hittingsomething,” said Maj Gen Ryder.
In photos: Israel strikes Lebanon, but reels from Iranian missile damagepublished at 10:04 British Summer Time
10:04 BST
We can now bring you new images from Israel and Lebanon.
Last night, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at Israel, causing some damage in central Israel, as well as killing a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank.
Meanwhile, Israel has continued its strikes against Hezbollah in Lebanon.
We risk dying from the cold, says displaced man in Beirutpublished at 09:35 British Summer Time
09:35 BST
The Lebanese prime minister said yesterday around a million people have been displaced as Israel's air strikes continue across Lebanon.
With emergency shelters in Beirut unable to accommodate all those arriving from the south, many are sleeping by the road, in public squares, or on the beach.
"We were forced to leave our villages andhomes and come to Beirut, but there are no available houses or schools, all are overcrowded," a man tell our colleagues on BBC Arabic.
"If we survive the bombings, we risk dying from the cold weather and diseases. We can't afford medicine should we fall ill. Many suffer on the streets," he adds.
Another man says he now lives on the street and does not know what to do: "Weleft everything behind and arrived here with no clothes or resources."
"Apartment rents have skyrocketed beyond our means,leaving us on the streets with our children in the cold winter," another person says. "We are enduring a truly tragic situation.”
Up to 100 rockets fired at northern Israel this morningpublished at 09:15 British Summer Time
09:15 BST
Sirens warning of incoming rocket fire have sounded across northern Israel this morning.
The Israel Defense Forces issued alerts to communities around Haifa and Western Galilee, near the Israel-Lebanon border.
As many as 100 rockets have been fired at northern Israel so far today, Israeli media reports, citing the IDF.
IDF issues new evacuation warning for southern Lebanese villagespublished at 08:46 British Summer Time
08:46 BST
The Israel Defense Forces has issued a new warning for people in around 25 southern Lebanese villages to evacuate.
It follows a warning issued yesterday for a similar number of areas – about five of the villages included in the latest message were also included in yesterday's warning.
The warning from the IDF's Arabic spokesperson Avichay Adraee, posted on social media, comes after reports of fighting inside southern Lebanon.
Addressing the affected Lebanese residents, Adraee says the Israeli military does not intend to harm them and they should immediately evacuate to north of the Awali River – which meets the coast about 50km (30 miles) from the border with Israel – to "save your lives".
Panic in Beirut after Israeli air strikes continuepublished at 08:26 British Summer Time
08:26 BST
Nafiseh Kohnavard
BBC Persian Middle East correspondent, BeirutYesterday, we arrived at the scene of one of Israel’s attacks onBeirut only about an hour after it happened.
There was heavy traffic, as debris from the building had fallen ontoone side of the highway that goes towards Beirut Rafiq Hariri Internationalairport.
The building was located in Bir Hasan area, in a packedresidential neighbourhood. It was clear this was anothertargeted attack by Israel: only two floors of the 11-storey building were badlydamaged.
Smoke was rising and there was fireinside the apartments that were targeted. It is still not clear who wastargeted or how many people were killed. There has been no statement on possible casualties by Hezbollah or other allied groups.
A Hezbollah security member at the scene told us two missiles were firedfrom a drone. One exploded and one did not. He said many people were in theirhomes in this building and others nearby when the explosionhappened.
The building was just next to Al Zahra hospital - which isconsidered a Hezbollah-affiliated hospital - and several members of the group injured in the pager blasts and Israel’s air strikes have been treatedthere.
This was not the only attack that happened yesterday in thisarea. A floor in another building very close to this one was similarlytargeted.
A five-minute drive away are the schoolsin Bir Hasan that are now sheltering thousands of displaced people who fledfrom southern Lebanon and Dahieh - a Beirut suburb and Hezbollahstronghold.
When we went back to the school, people toldus the explosions had caused a massive panic among people who hadalready fled bombing - especially children.
UK defence secretary thanks British forces for repelling Iran's attack on Israelpublished at 08:16 British Summer Time
08:16 BST
In his latest message, the UK Defence Secretary John Healey says British forces "played their part" in helping Israel repel Iran's missile attack on Tuesday, thanking them for their "courage and professionalism".
The BBC understands UK fighter jets were involved, as happened in April when Iran last attacked Israel.
The US also helped Israel - the Pentagon said the US fired about a dozen interceptors at Iranian ballistic missiles on Tuesday, with President Joe Biden saying it was at his direction.
Israeli strikes on Beirut are traumatising – Lebanese politicianpublished at 07:54 British Summer Time
07:54 BST
After another night of Israeli strikes on Beirut, Lebanese politician Michel Helou tells the BBC the city is "tense".
In addition to the casualties, the attacks are "traumatising", the secretary general of the independent National Bloc party in Lebanon tells the World Service's Newsday programme.
"Last night none of us slept much because it was the fifth night in a row that the southern suburb is struck.
"Every hour the Israeli army sends a Twitter post warning people to evacuate, but how and where and how could it be possible for them to evacuate in half an hour before a strike hits.
"It's very traumatising obviously psychologically, on top of the human toll of those strikes."
In Beirut, Israel has primarily been targeting the southern suburb of Dahieh, a Hezbollah stronghold. It says it's taking steps to minimise the risk of harming civilians – accusing Hezbollah of hiding its infrastructure amid civilian populations.
Israel sends more troops to Lebanon ground operationpublished at 07:37 British Summer Time
07:37 BSTBreaking
As we've been reporting, Israel announced a ground invasion on southern Lebanon on Tuesday - and details from the ground remain limited.
But in a recent update, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), says "additional forces" are joining "the limited, localized, targeted raids on Hezbollah targets" in southern Lebanon.
They will join the ground operation and will be drawn from the 36th Division and other forces, the IDF says.
Earlier, Hezbollah said that it repelled an Israeli ground attack in a southern Lebanon border village on Wednesday, but the Israeli military has not commented.