Israel launches strikes in Lebanon amid Netanyahu's border visit | Updates

Israel's recent strikes in eastern Lebanon followed warnings of renewed attacks on Hezbollah. Netanyahu's visit to the border marked his second this month.

An airstrike near Sidon in southern Lebanon killed three people on Sunday, coinciding with bombings in the east and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Israel's northern border.

A displaced man walks in front of tent under rain at Beirut's central Martyrs' Square, where many families spend the night fleeing the ongoing Israeli strikes in southern Beirut in Lebanon. (REUTERS)

The recent strikes in eastern Lebanon followed Israel's warning of renewed attacks on Hezbollah positions. Netanyahu's office confirmed his visit to the Lebanon border, marking his second trip there in a month.

This came after Israel's military said that over 100 projectiles were launched from Lebanon into Israel on Sunday, with several intercepted and others landing in empty areas.

Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon have been engaged in conflict since September 23, when Israel intensified cross-border airstrikes following a year of reciprocal gunfire. A week later, Israel deployed ground troops for "targeted raids."

Here are the updates on rising tensions amid cross-border strikes

1. Lebanon's health ministry said that an Israeli raid on Haret Saida, a densely populated area near Sidon, resulted in three deaths and nine injuries.
2. A strike hit a residential building, resulting in the rescue of a child from the rubble, as reported by AFP. It also reported that Israeli strikes targeted an area near a hospital in Tebnine, located in the Bint Jbeil district of southern Lebanon.
3. There were no Israeli evacuation warnings issued prior to the strikes in Haret Saida or in southern Lebanon.
4. Since September 23, the conflict has resulted in over 1,930 fatalities in Lebanon, based on an AFP count from Lebanese health ministry data. Meanwhile, Israel's military reports that 38 soldiers have died in the Lebanon campaign since ground operations commenced.
5. Iran and Israel have escalated direct attacks against each other, raising concerns about a broader conflict. However, Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Sunday that a possible ceasefire with allied forces “could influence the intensity and nature of our response.”
6. Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei issued a warning on Saturday, stating that Israel and the United States “will definitely receive a tooth-breaking response.”
7. The Israeli military said that it has captured a Syrian citizen during the first confirmed ground operation in Syria since the outbreak of the current conflict.
8. Demonstrators marked the anniversary of the 1979 hostage crisis on Sunday by burning Israeli and US flags outside the former American embassy in Tehran, a significant event that has shaped the longstanding tensions between Washington and Tehran.
9. The US military has announced that American B-52 bombers have arrived in the Middle East as part of a reinforcement strategy aimed at sending a warning to Iran.
10. In central Gaza on Sunday, residents flocked to a United Nations agency distribution point in Deir el-Balah to collect sacks of flour.