Israel-Iran latest updates: Hezbollah launches missile salvo at northern Israel as IDF threatens 'significant retaliation' to Iran's barrage sparking World War III fears

An elite special forces soldier was reportedly killed in border clashes with Hezbollah today.

Al Mayadeen cited Israeli sources in reporting that an Egoz Unit soldier had been killed in confrontations on the northern border.

The Egoz Unit is an elite IDF commando unit specialising in anti-guerilla warfare and special reconnaissance.

Hezbollah is 'only in the first round' following clashes with Israeli troops in southern Lebanon, the militant group's media chief Mohammad Afif said on Wednesday.

'Today, our fighters clashed with the enemy in Adaisseh and Maroun al-Ras,' he said in a statement today.

'What happened in “Maska Fa’am” is only the beginning. We confirm that the resistance is fine, and the command and control system and military capabilities are also fine.

'We are waiting for the course of the resistance’s operations and it is acting wisely and calmly. The resistance is at the highest levels of readiness.'

The Israeli military has announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches following Hezbollah rocket fire.

The announcement on Tuesday limits public gatherings to 30 people and includes Jerusalem. It also comes a day before the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, when large crowds typically gather to pray at the Western Wall in the holy city.

The changes are in effect until October 5. Their extension could affect memorial events planned to honor victims of Hamas' October 7 attack.

While the official memorials will be filmed without an audience, possibly to minimize interruptions and protests, an alternative ceremony was expected to attract more than 40,000 people to a park in Tel Aviv.

School remains closed in northern Israel, and the new guidelines only allow classes to take place in the center if the school has adequate bomb shelters.

While it's unclear how many of Iran's missiles actually penetrated Israel's defences last night, the scale of the strike proved to be one of the biggest tests ever faced by the country's hi-tech Iron Dome network.

Here, MailOnline looks at whether the defence system was able to withstand Iran's attack, and how the system works:

Hezbollah said that its fighters were clashing with Israeli forces in the border town of Marous al Ras on Tuesday.

It came as Israel announced it was deploying ground troops and armour to support its 'raids' into Lebanon.

Hezbollah claimed to have pushed Israeli troops back near the town of Adaisseh earlier today, adding that it had launched a salvo of missiles at northern Israel.

The group told Al Jazeera today that it has enough fighters, weapons and ammunition to push back the Israeli advance.

The IDF has ordered the evacuation of 24 more villages in southern Lebanon, bringing the total to 51, per Al Jazeera reports.

Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz took the decision to ban UN secretary Antonio Gueterres from the country, declaring him a persona non grata, slamming his statement following Iran's missile attack last night.

'Anyone who cannot unequivocally condemn Iran's heinous attack on Israel does not deserve to step foot on Israeli soil.

'This is an anti-Israel Secretary-General who lends support to terrorists, rapists, and murderers,' said Foreign Minister Israel Katz in a statement.

President Joe Biden has confirmed that the US helped Israel repel a missile attack from Iran last night after it launched a dozen interceptors and warned Tehran that he is 'fully, fully supportive of Israel'.

Iran fired around 200 ballistic missiles on Tuesday evening in revenge for Israel's campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon, but the US president said that the 'attack appears to have been defeated'.

He praised the efforts to foil the missiles, saying that 'this is testament to Israel's military capability and the US military', as he noted that he had spent the morning in the White House's Situation Room monitoring the conflict.

Hezbollah has launched more than 100 rockets into Israel, with the group claiming it has targeted soldiers massing on the border as the Israeli Defence Forces ordered more troops and armoured units to join its ground invasion of Lebanon.

Hezbollah said this morning that it had confronted Israeli forces who were infiltrating the southern village of Adaisseh and forced them to retreat, claims Israel has not commented on.

The Iran-backed group also said that its fighters had targeted 'a large infantry force' in Misgav Am across the border with 'rockets and artillery', as well as troop gatherings in three other locations, one with Burkan short-range ballistic missiles.

The fifth victim of last night's terror attack in Jaffa has been named as Moldovan-Israel Nadia Sokolenco, 40.

Four of the seven victims of the attack have so far been named.

These were: Revital Bronstein, 24, Ilia Nozadze, 42, Shahar Goldman, 30, and Inbar Segev Vigder, 33.

Two are yet to be publicly identified.

The Greek foreign ministry reported this morning a Greek citizen was among those killed.

The Kremlin on Wednesday said the situation in the Middle East was developing in an alarming direction and called on all sides to exercise restraint.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russia had contacts with all sides in the region and said Moscow condemned any action that caused the death of civilians.

But he made no mention of Russia's on-going invasion of Ukraine, which has left thousands of civilians dead and millions displaced.

'This situation is developing according to the most alarming scenario,' Peskov said.

'We call for restraint by all sides against the backdrop of what is happening. And of course, we condemn any actions which lead to the deaths of civilians.'

Asked what Moscow would do next and whether it would support Iran in the event of Tehran entering a full-scale conflict with Israel, Peskov said:

'We have contacts with all sides in this conflict, we continue to have these contacts and call on all sides for restraint.'

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett on Wednesday called for a decisive strike to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities in the wake of the massive missile barrage fired by Tehran at Israel.

'We must act now to destroy Iran's nuclear program, its central energy facilities, and to fatally cripple this terrorist regime,' Bennett wrote on X just hours after the attack on Israel on Tuesday.

'We have the justification. We have the tools. Now that Hezbollah and Hamas are paralysed, Iran stands exposed,' wrote Bennett.

In a separate statement, Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid said Iran should pay a 'significant and heavy price' for the attack.

'Tehran knows that Israel is coming. The response needs to be tough and it should send an unequivocal message to the terror axis in Syria, Iraq, Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza and in Iran itself,' said Lapid, who also briefly served as premier in 2022.

Iran has been accused of seeking to develop atomic weapons, though the Islamic republic insists its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.

Israel is widely known to have nuclear weapons but has never admitted so.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett (C) attends a cabinet meeting (File)

Former US President Donald Trump warned of 'global catastrophe' after Iran's brutal missile attack on Israel after likening the sworn enemies to 'two kids fighting in the schoolyard'.

The remarks came after tensions in the Middle East continue to spiral, with Iran firing nearly 200 ballistic missiles at Israeli territory overnight and Israeli military now preparing a 'significant retaliation' to the shocking attack.

Following the attack, Trump, 78, criticised US Presdient Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, referring to the situation as 'very close to global catastrophe'.

Former President and Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks in Wisconsin on Tuesday

British nationals were scrambling to get out of Lebanon by any means last night with families desperately paying thousands to flee on luxury yachts and private jets.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy warned Beirut airport could be closed at any moment, as he announced the Government has chartered a plane for those remaining today.

Up to 6,000 UK citizens are still in Lebanon despite repeated warnings to get out before Israel's invasion began on Monday evening.

A Lebanese Middle East Airlines (MEA) plane takes off from Beirut-Rafic Al Hariri International Airport on Tuesday

Smoke rises from a building following an Israeli military strike, in the southern suburbs of Beirut, Lebanon

Two Israeli soldiers were killed and 18 wounded in clashes with Hezbollah in Lebanon this morning, according to Israeli media.

Hezbollah claims to have carried out several attacks on Israeli forces today after the IDF announced it was deploying infantry and armour to Lebanon.

Imran Khan, reporting from Hasbaiyya, Lebanon for Al Jazeera, said that Israeli forces had entered Odaisseh but were 'repelled in ground fighting'.

'It was an ambush that forced the Israelis back. Hezbollah also bombed the Shtula settlement, where Israeli forces are staging on the border, and hit a large infantry force in the Misgav Am settlement with missiles and artillery.'

MailOnline has not been able to verify the claims.

Israeli artillery shells the village of Odaisseh in southern Lebanon yesterday

Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, is said to have gone into hiding after his nation's revolutionary guards (IRGC) launched some 180 ballistic missiles at arch-enemy Israel yesterday.

It had been expected that he would perform this week's Friday prayers in Tehran until the strikes.

Yesterday's attack, unprecedented in scope and scale, came without warning, with terrifying footage showing missiles streaking through the night sky and descending on targets across Israel.

Though some found their targets, many of the projectiles were intercepted by the Jewish state's vaunted air defence systems, supported by US and UK air and naval assets, with no Israeli casualties reported.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a gathering of Iranian top scientific talents in Tehran on October 2

The Israeli military has begun measuring out the homes of the Palestinian terrorists who carried out a deadly attack in Jaffa last night, ahead of a potential demolition.

The IDF said it had mapped houses in Hebron, West Bank overnight after two men, armed with a firearm and a knife, attacked Israelis on the Tel Aviv light rail and a nearby road in Jaffa yesterday evening.

Seven people were killed and 16 wounded in the attack, including an off-duty IDF soldier.

Israeli media identified two of the victims as Israeli citizens Shahar Goldman, 30, and Inbar Segev Vigder, 33.

The military announced it had also detained several suspects for questioning.

They were said to have been believed to have helped the terrorists purchase the assault rifle used in the attack.

At least seven people were injured in a shooting Tuesday night

Healthcare professionals are deployed to the scene after an attack in Jaffa

Former Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett has called for a decisive strike to destroy Iran's nuclear facilities in the wake of the massive missile barrage.

'We must act now to destroy Iran's nuclear program, its central energy facilities, and to fatally cripple this terrorist regime,' Bennett wrote on X just hours after the attack on Israel on Tuesday.

'We have the justification. We have the tools. Now that Hezbollah and Hamas are paralysed, Iran stands exposed,' wrote Bennett.

In a separate statement, Israel's main opposition leader Yair Lapid said Iran should pay a 'significant and heavy price' for the attack.

Nine in ten people in Lebanon are unable to find the basic necessities for survival, according to a new report by the International Rescue Committee.

The IRC, a UK-based charity, found that nearly half of those in dire need of aid are children, with some one million people displaced by the conflict already.

A survey of families 'relocated' by the conflict revealed 82 per cent of people struggled accessing food.

Cash support, shelter materials, hygiene supplies and clean drinking water were also in short supply.

The ailing Lebanese government has urgently set up refuge in Beirut to house those displaced by the war.

But many have been left sleeping on the streets, with makeshift shelters quickly becoming overcrowded.

A displaced girl sleeps on the pavement in downtown Beirut on October 1

Juan Gabriel Wells, the IRC Country Director in Lebanon, said: 'We are witnessing alarming gaps in health care, with critical shortages of medication and limited access to services affecting the elderly, children and those with chronic conditions.

'One of the people we are now supporting, who had to flee his home in the south and is now staying in an overcrowded collective shelter in Beirut, told us how his family weren’t able to bring anything with them as they rushed to get out of harm’s way.

'He told us that his daughter and her newborn baby also had to flee immediately, without receiving any medical care after delivery.

IRC teams of nurses, doctors and social workers continue to work with the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health and primary health care centres to help the civilian population.

The UK reaffirmed its commitment to defending Israel today by revealing that British forces 'played their part' in largely thwarting Iran as the West desperately scrambles to prevent the Middle Eastern conflict from escalating even further.

Read our full story here:

Civilians stranded in Beirut amid Israel's incursion into Lebanon have said they risk dying from cold weather or disease, unable to find proper shelter.

Shelters have become overcrowded with one million people reported to have been displaced by the ongoing conflict.

Many have fled back into war-torn Syria to avoid Israel's bombardment of southern Lebanon and the suburbs of Beirut.

'We were forced to leave our villages and homes and come to Beirut, but there are no available houses or schools, all are overcrowded,' one Lebanese man told 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.'

Lebanon's official National News Agency reported this morning that Israeli aircraft had targeted the southern suburbs of the capital with a strike this morning.

More than 1,000 people have been killed in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since September 17, nearly one quarter women and children, per health officials.

Firefighters work as smoke billows at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Hadath area on October 2

Rescuers check the destruction at the site of an overnight Israeli airstrike in Beirut's southern suburb of Shayyah on October 2

Earlier, we brought the news that a Jewish charity in the UK has reported a spike in antisemitic incidents in the UK.

Last night, the Daily Mail exclusively reported that the same charity - the Community Security Trust - is mounting its 'largest ever' security operation.

This is in conjunction with police amid fears that Iranian-funded terror groups will target British Jews around the anniversary of the Hamas-led massacre of Israel, and the High Holy Holidays - which begin today (October 2).

Read the full story below:

Four houses in Metula, northern Israel were hit by rockets from Lebanon amid clashes with Hezbollah this morning, Israeli army radio reported.

Dozens of rockets continue to land in Israel from Lebanon, backed by fire from Houthi rebels from Yemen.

No casualties have been reported.

Sirens continue to sound in several areas in the Galilee, northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon.

Smoke billowing after shelling from Lebanon hit the Israeli town of Metula in northern Israel today

Tensions between Israel and Hezbollah have been ramping up for months amid bitter cross-border fighting, and are now coming to a head with the region facing the prospect of a full-scale war.

Here, MailOnline delves into the reason Israel and Hezbollah are at war:

Sirens sounded across northern Israel this morning as the IDF claimed as many as 100 rockets had been fired into the country.

Warnings to shelter were issued to communities around Haifa and Western Galilee, near the border with Lebanon.

Earlier today, Yemeni Houthis claimed they had fired a rocket barrage deep inside Israel.

The Israeli military claimed ten rockets had been fired at the suburbs of Haifa, with some intercepted and others landing in other open areas.

No casualties have been reported.

A school damaged by ballistic missiles fired from Iran, in Gedera, Israel today

The Houthis in Yemen claimed successful strikes into Israel this morning, that they said were intended 'in support of both the Palestinian and Lebanese peoples'.

'The missiles successfully hit their targets', military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a statement.

'We will not hesitate to widen our operations against the Israeli enemy or those backing them until the war on Gaza and Lebanon is halted and siege laid to Gaza is lifted.'

Houthi rebels claimed earlier this morning to have targeted military posts deep inside Israel with three-winged Quds-5 rockets.

Israel has not yet commented.

The Houthis sent drones to attack Israeli military sites yesterday as Israel launched 'raids' into Lebanon.

Brigadier Yahya Saree said attacks into Israel had been successful (File)

Israel's foreign minister Israel Katz has threatened Iran with retaliation following its 'brutal' missile attack.

In a post on social media, responding to several Western leaders expressing their support for Israel - including US Vice President Kamala Harris, Katz said:

The support and solidarity from leaders and nations around the world will never be forgotten. We know who our friends are. The Ayatollah regime has crossed the red line – and the state of Israel will not remain silent in the face of Iran’s brutal attack on our citizens. The entire free world must stand with Israel to stop the Iranian axis of evil – before it’s too late.

The death toll from the shooting and stabbing attack in Tel Aviv last night has risen to seven after one of the victims succumbed to his wounds overnight, hospital sources said on Wednesday.

New of the attack broke as Iran's missile barrage unfolded.

'The injured person came to us in a critical condition, suffering from multi-system damage, and after doctors fought for his life, they had to pronounce him dead a short while ago,' a statement from Tel Aviv's Ichilov medical centre said.

On Tuesday, Israeli police said six people were killed and 17 others wounded in the attack, which took place near Tel Aviv's light rail station in Jaffa.

Police said the two assailants, who were in their 20s, were residents of the occupied West Bank, and that one of the attackers was shot dead and the other was seriously wounded.

Israeli media identified two of the victims as Israeli citizens Shahar Goldman, 30, and Inbar Segev Vigder, 33.

Israeli operation leader said Iran should suffer a 'tough' response that sends 'a clear message to the entire axis' after strikes pounded Israel last night.

Yair Lapid wrote on Twitter/X that 'in Tehran, they know that Israel will come'.

'Along with a military response, we must develop an overall regional political strategy that turns military success into strategic change, and we must not forget for one moment the urgent need to return the abductees home.'

Israel is said to be planning a 'significant retaliation' against Iran that could involve attacks on the country's oil production facilities and other strategic infrastructure.

Axios cited unnamed officials in saying an attack could follow 'within days', after some 181 rockets struck Israel overnight.

The officials said this could include strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities if Tehran attacks again.

Israel's opposition leader and former prime minister Yair Lapid (File)

Israeli strikes killed at least 32 people in southern Gaza overnight as the military renewed ground operations in Khan Yunis, Palestinian medical officials said today.

The European Hospital in Khan Yunis said it received the bodies after heavy Israeli strikes and ground operations rocked the beleaguered city.

It said the dead include several women and children, with dozens wounded.

Israel meanwhile continued striking the suburbs of Beirut into Wednesday, while defending against a Houthi rocket barrage fired from Yemen.

Houthi rebels claimed to have targeted military posts deep inside Israel with three-winged Quds-5 rockets this morning.

Yahya Saree, the group's military spokesman, said US and UK support for Israel puts their interests 'under fire'.

There were no immediate reports of damage of casualties.

Palestinians inspect the site of Israeli strikes on houses, amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip, October 2

Danish police said on Wednesday they were investigating two blasts that went off near the Israeli embassy in the capital Copenhagen.

No-one was hurt in the explosions, which occurred overnight in the 'immediate proximity' to the Israeli embassy, police spokesman Jakob Hansen told reporters.

Read our full story here:

Israel has ordered the evacuation of Lebanese villages in the south as it presses on with its ground invasion.

Avichay Adraee, spokesperson for the Israeli army, told people in 24 communes to 'evacuate their homes immediately'.

'Anyone who is near Hezbollah elements, installations, and combat equipment is putting his life at risk.

'Any house used by Hezbollah for its military needs is expected to be targeted,' he said on Twitter/X.

Israel maintains its war is not with civilians, but has urged residents to flee in order to avoid getting caught in crossfire.

Some one million people have so far been displaced by the conflict in Lebanon, many travelling back into war-torn Syria for lack of safer options.

The ailing Lebanese government has tried to provide shelters for civilians in the capital of Beirut, which has also come under Israeli fire.

The evacuation order comes a day after a similar call was made after the military announced the launch of ground operations.

Smoke billows after an Israeli Air Force air strike on a village in southern Lebanon, as seen from Jish, northern Israel, October 2

An Israeli Apache helicopter fires a missile towards southern Lebanon as seen from northern Israel this morning

Artillery is fired by the Israeli Army into Lebanon, as seen from Jish this morning

Israeli forces are believed to have suffered casualties amid a renewed press into Lebanon this morning.

Some 20 ambulances were reported to be stationed in northern Israel to receive soldiers being evacuated from the frontlines in Lebanon.

Israel continued to pound southern Lebanon with rockets this morning, claiming intense clashes with Hezbollah soldiers at the border.

Infantry and armoured units were expected to join the cross-border raids today, so far defined mostly by small commando raids.

Israel revealed yesterday its special forces had been working in Lebanon for months, targeting Hezbollah strongholds and destroying Iranian weapons.

Israel maintains that its military operations in Lebanon will be swift - but continues to face pressure from world leaders to de-escalate.

Hello and welcome to MailOnline's live blog covering the ongoing conflict between Israel, Hezbollah and Iran on October 2. Here's what you need to know this morning:

• The IDF launched a 'limited, localised and targeted' invasion into Lebanon, claiming to be targeting Hezbollah strongholds, in the early hours of Monday morning;
• Israel fended off attacks from Hezbollah and Houthi rebels in Yemen as thousands headed for emergency shelters during waves of rocket and drone attacks;
• Iran fired a salvo of ballistic missiles into Israel, claiming to have targeted military positions with 90 per cent efficiency. One Palestinian was killed in Israel;
• The US confirmed two naval destroyers were used to shoot down Iranian missiles, as British and Jordanian forces lent support;
• Israeli rhetoric has turned to a response this morning as Iran urged de-escalation, while threatening anybody opening air space to Israel;
• Israel announced renewed operations in Lebanon today, claiming infantry and armoured units would join the ground offensive, hitherto mainly defined by commando raids;
• Israeli forces appeared to suffer casualties in their first close combat with Hezbollah in Lebanon, with some 20 ambulances waiting in northern Israel to receive the injured.

Follow our developing news story as Israel vows 'to target Iran's oil within days in revenge for last night's missile barrage'.

Amid the mounting tensions in the Middle East, a Jewish charity said it has recorded more than 5,500 antisemitic incidents in the UK in the year since the Hamas attacks on Israel.

The Community Security Trust (CST) said the 5,583 incidents recorded between October 7 2023 and September 30 is the highest total of any 12-month period.

The figure is three times that of the previous 12-month period, which saw 1,830 incidents recorded in total.

The charity, which monitors antisemitism and provides security for the Jewish community in Britain, said most incidents took the form of abusive behaviour (4,583), while others involved threats (401) or assault (302).

One incident of what it described as extreme violence was recorded.

The majority of incidents were recorded in London (3,167), while 729 were recorded in Manchester and 642 in West Yorkshire.

There were 1,400 incidents in October 2023 alone, the charity said, and more than 200 have been recorded every month since then.

Reporting by PA