ISRAELI special forces have stormed “Hezbollah tunnels inside Lebanon” as Netanyahu warns “there’s nowhere out of our reach”.
Military bosses have massed tanks and 13,000 reservists at its northern border with Lebanon to pave the way for a bloody showdown with Hezbollah terror troops.
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Forces have been carrying out targeted raids in southern Lebanon ahead of a possible broader ground incursion.
Now Hezbollah tunnels located along the border have been stormed by special forces – part of the broader effort by Israel to diminish the terror group’s powers.
Netanyahu addressed the people of Iran in a televised speech, chillingly warning there’s “nowhere in the Middle East” that Israel cannot reach.
The prime minister also told the Iranian people this was a “pivotal moment” and their country was taking them “closer to the abyss”.
He added: “Every day, you see a regime that subjugates you, make fiery speeches about defending Lebanon, defending Gaza.
“Yet every day, that regime plunges our region deeper into darkness and deeper into war.”
Israel continues to heighten hostilities against Iran‘s allies in the Middle East – amid fears the region could be on the brink of all-out war.
But Iran has appeared to blink first as a spokesperson said it would not send troops to Lebanon or Gaza.
The spokesperson said: “there is no need to send extra or volunteer forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, adding that fighters in those territories “have the capability and strength to defend themselves against aggression”.
Britain has since called for a ceasefire after a spike in Israeli strikes on Hezbollah strongholds.
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer‘s spokesperson said that “any further escalation must be avoided” and that “a ceasefire will provide the space necessary to find the political solution that is necessary to secure peace in the region”.
While Israel appears to gear up for war, Hezbollah chiefs have warned they are “ready” too.
Israeli defence minister Minister Yoav Gallant told troops deployed to the country’s northern border: “The elimination of Nasrallah is an important step, but it is not the final one.
“In order to ensure the return of Israel’s northern communities, we will employ all of our capabilities, and this includes you.”
He added: “We will use all the forces from the air, sea and land”.
Hezbollah leader Nasrallah was killed in a massive missile blitz on Friday.
Deadly Israeli strikes ripped through the 64-year-old terror chief’s underground command post in Beirut.
The Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) announced that the fighter jet blitz successfully eliminated the terror group’s Secretary-General.
They said: “Hassan Nasrallah will no longer be able to terrorize the world.”
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And military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani added: “Hassan Nasrallah is dead.”
Hezbollah also confirmed Nasrallah had been killed – and vowed to continue its fight against Israel.
Since the assassination, the US have said that “the region, the world are safer without him”.
But Secretary of State Antony Blinken also vowed that the US would continue working “urgently” to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.
US sources said Israel Defense Forces had already launched or prepared cross-border operations to take out threatening Hezbollah positions.
The probing missions by special forces teams were ordered as thousands of Israeli reservists were drafted to join a new ground war across the northern frontier.
An Israeli official today told the Telegraph: “They [elite troops] are targeting key sites which have been built across the border zone.”
Israeli defence minister Yoav Gallant confirmed a wider offensive was under discussion as dozens of Merkava battle tanks were seen rumbling towards Lebanon.
Three more battalions of around 3,000 reserve soldiers were called up after two brigades, totalling around 10,000, were moved north.
Crack commando units battle-hardened from months of fighting Hezbollah’s Hamas allies in Gaza were also in position and have been training for the bloody ground incursion.
Hezbollah’s deputy chief Naim Qassem today insisted the terror group is ready for any Israeli ground offensive.
He vowed Hezbollah will continue with its mission against Israel despite the loss of its leader and other top brass.
Qassem said: “We will not budge an inch from our position in supporting Gaza and Palestine and defending Lebanon and its people.
“We are confident the Israeli enemy will not achieve its aims.
“We know that the battle is long and the options are open to us, and we are ready for the enemy to enter by land, as the resistance forces are ready for the ground encounter.”
Qassem also said Nasrallah will be replaced as chief at the “earliest opportunity”.
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Israel has today expanded its ruthless drive to decapitate terror groups with more assassinations after the deaths of Hamas’ boss in Lebanon and Hezbollah’s chief.
Three key leaders of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) have now been killed by a suspected precision drone strike on an apartment block in Lebanese capital, Beirut.
Laser-like intelligence directed drone operators to targets on the fourth floor of an apartment block in the central suburb of Kola.
A missile decimated the corner apartment plot killing PFLP officials Mohamed Abdel, Imad Awda and Abdul Rahman.
The attack on the PFLP – which has specialised in hijacking, kidnap and terrorist murder plots since the 70’s – suggested Israel was widening its target range.
One other person was killed and nine more reported injured in the explosion.
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