Live: Israel ramps up strikes on Gaza after Iran attack

The United Nations special coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said on Tuesday that violence is spiralling to dangerous heights with strikes throughout Lebanon and incursions across the Blue Line.

"This cycle of violence will not end well for anyone," Hennis-Plasschaert added.

Reporting by Reuters

The Israeli military extended home front safety restrictions on Tuesday to many towns and cities across the country, including Jerusalem and Tel Aviv.

The military limited gatherings and said people must be near bomb shelters.

Reporting by Reuters

Israeli forces have killed at least 23 Palestinians and wounded 101 in the past 24 hours, according to the Palestinian health ministry. 

This brings the death toll since 7 October 2023 to 41,638, with more than 96,460 wounded and an estimated 10,000 uncounted for and presumed dead.

The death toll includes at least 16,800 children, 11,400 women, nearly 1,000 health workers, 174 journalists and 220 UN workers. 

Here is what we know about Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon so far: 

• The Israeli military said its forces launched a "targeted and limited" invasion of southern Lebanon late on Monday.

• Hezbollah denied on Tuesday that Israeli forces had entered Lebanon. 

• UN peacekeepers also said there was no Israeli ground incursion in south Lebanon "right now".

• An Israeli security source and Hezbollah both said no direct clashes have taken place between the two sides. 

• The Israeli military on Tuesday ordered residents of more than 20 towns in southern Lebanon to evacuate immediately.

Read more: Israel's ground invasion of Lebanon: What do we know so far?

More than 10,000 people in the Gaza Strip still need medical evacuation while more than 41,000 people have been killed in the last 12 months of war, Unrwa spokesperson Louise Wateridge told a briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.

Reporting by Reuters

Video footage circulated online appears to show Israel's use of white phosphorus munitions in southern Lebanon.

The footage of the intensifying Israeli strikes near the Israeli-Lebanese border showed what looked like phosphorus bombs, as well as heavy artillery use by the Israelis.

White phosphorus is an incendiary chemical that ignites when in contact with air and can cause severe burns in people or structures it comes into contact with.

Inhalation of white phosphorus fumes can cause respiratory injuries and asphyxiation, and the chemical can inflict second- and third-degree burns to the skin.

The use of airburst white phosphorus in areas with a dense civilian population is prohibited under international law, as the weapon inflicts indiscriminate harm on civilians.

Read more: Footage appears to show Israel using white phosphorus in southern Lebanon 

Israel falsely claimed that weapons or weapon depots were present in civilian buildings, including Al-Sirat's building in Beirut's southern suburb that was bombed on Monday, Hezbollah has said in a statement. 

The claims are untrue, the Lebanese movement added.

Hezbollah denied on Tuesday that Israeli forces entered Lebanon, hours after the Israeli military announced it would begin ground incursions in border villages. 

Muhammad Afif, a media relations officer for Hezbollah, told Al Jazeera any claims of cross-border Israeli raids are "false".  

"No direct ground clashes have occurred between the resistance fighters and the occupation forces yet," Afif said. 

He added that Hezbollah fighters were ready for the ground assault and vowed to "inflict the greatest losses on enemy forces that attempt to enter Lebanese territory".

Media leaks by unnamed American officials about the timing of the Israeli invasion of Lebanon have put Israeli soldiers in danger, a senior Israeli official told Kann news broadcaster on Tuesday. 

The official accused the US of trying to "limit" the offensive by "outing" it to the media.

Turkey on Tuesday condemned Israel's ground offensive in Lebanon as an "unlawful invasion attempt" and called for the withdrawal of its troops. 

"This attack must end as soon as possible and Israeli soldiers must withdraw from Lebanese territory," the foreign ministry said in a statement. 

Reporting by AFP

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it was deeply concerned about Israel's military activity in Lebanon and a strike on the Syrian capital, Damascus.

Israel said intense fighting had erupted with the Hezbollah movement in south Lebanon on Tuesday after its paratroops and commandos launched raids there, at the start of a ground incursion that followed air strikes against Hezbollah's leadership.

Reporting by Reuters 

The raids by Israeli troops in southern Lebanon that began overnight were limited and went only a short distance over the border, a security official told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that no direct clashes with Hezbollah fighters were reported.

The official said a wider operation targeting the Lebanese capital Beirut, which has been hit by repeated airstrikes in recent days, was "not on the table".

Reporting by Reuters 

Lebanon's prime minister and the UN humanitarian agency on Tuesday said they were launching an appeal for more than $400 million to address the humanitarian crisis amid Israel's offensive on Lebanon.

"Prime Minister Najib Mikati and Humanitarian Coordinator for Lebanon Imran Riza today launched a $426 million flash appeal to mobilise urgent resources for civilians affected by the escalating conflict and resulting humanitarian crisis in Lebanon," the UN humanitarian agency Ocha said.

Reporting by AFP

Rockets fired from Lebanon on Tuesday targeted Tel Aviv with explosions heard in the central Israeli city, according to local media. 

It was not immediately clear if the explosions were caused by rocket impact or interceptions. 

Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man named Diaa Hani Dweikat, 25, during an ongoing raid in the Balata refugee camp in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry said. 

Local armed Palestinian groups said they discovered an undercover Israeli force in the camp and engaged it in heavy clashes, causing injuries among Israeli soldiers. 

Israeli military rescue helicopters were seen near Nablus amid the clashes, likely to transport wounded soldiers. 

There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.