Israeli tanks are lining up along the Lebanon border as fears surge over a ground invasion that could lead to an all-out war.

It comes as Hamas said an Israeli strike killed its leader in Lebanon on Monday, while another Palestinian militant group said three of its leaders were killed in a strike on Beirut, the first attack within the city limits.


Hamas said its leader in Lebanon, Fateh Sherif Abu el-Amin was killed, along with his wife, son, and daughter, in a strike that targeted their house in a Palestinian refugee camp in the southern city of Tyre.

Israel’s increasing frequency of attacks against the Hezbollah militia in Lebanon and the Houthi militia in Yemen have prompted fears that Middle East fighting could spiral and draw in Iran and the United States.

u200bAn armoured vehicle drives as damaged buildings are seen in the background, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip

An armoured vehicle drives as damaged buildings are seen in the background, amid the ongoing ground operation of the Israeli army against Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, in the Gaza Strip

Reuters

u200bA security personnel stands next to the buildings damaged in an Israeli strike, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Kola, central Beirut

A security personnel stands next to the buildings damaged in an Israeli strike, amid ongoing cross-border hostilities between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, in Kola, central Beirut

Reuters

Members of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces walk past a debris-strewn street following an Israeli strike

Members of the Lebanese Internal Security Forces walk past a debris-strewn street following an Israeli strike

Reuters

u200bSecurity personnel inspects a building damaged in an Israeli strike

Security personnel inspects a building damaged in an Israeli strike

Reuters

In Lebanon, authorities said at least 105 people had been killed by Israeli air strikes on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Houthi-run health ministry said at least four people were killed and 29 wounded in airstrikes on Yemen’s port of Hodeidah, which Israel said were a response to Houthi missile attacks.

Lebanon’s Health Ministry has said more than 1,000 Lebanese have been killed and 6,000 wounded in the past two weeks, without saying how many were civilians. The government said a million people, a fifth of the population, have fled their homes.

Israel has vowed to keep up the assault and says it wants to make its northern areas secure again for residents who have been forced to flee Hezbollah rocket attacks.

u200bPeople walk on the rubble at the site of the Israeli airstrike that killed Lebanon's Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

People walk on the rubble at the site of the Israeli airstrike that killed Lebanon’s Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah

Reuters

u200bSmoke billows after Israeli Air Force air strikes in southern Lebanon villages

Smoke billows after Israeli Air Force air strikes in southern Lebanon villages

Reuters

Many of Israel’s attacks have been carried out in the south of Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah has most of its operations, or Beirut’s southern suburbs.

The attack in the Kola district appeared to be the first strike within Beirut’s city limits. Syrians living in southern Lebanon who had fled Israeli bombardment had been sleeping under a bridge in the neighborhood for days, residents of the area said.

The United States has urged a diplomatic resolution to the conflict in Lebanon but has also authorised its military to reinforce in the region.

President Joe Biden, asked if an all-out war in the Middle East could be avoided, said “It has to be.” He said he will be talking to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

u200bPeople walk near restaurants in Zaitunay Bay, Beirut

People walk near restaurants in Zaitunay Bay, Beirut

Reuters

Israeli drones hovered over Beirut for much of Sunday, with the loud blasts of new airstrikes echoing around the Lebanese capital.

Displaced families spent the night on benches at Zaitunay Bay, a string of restaurants and cafes on Beirut’s waterfront.

Many of Israel’s attacks have been carried out in the south of Lebanon, where the Iran-backed Hezbollah has most of its operations, or Beirut’s southern suburbs.