Israel goes in: IDF confirms boots on the ground in southern Lebanon as bombs rain down from the sky --Netanyahu issues stark warning to Iran | 30 Sept 2024 | The Israeli military last night confirmed its troops had launched a long-awaited ground invasion of Lebanon, as fears mount that the escalation could plunge the Middle East into an all-out war. After a day of ratcheting tensions in the war-torn region, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) announced that it had begun "localised and targeted raids" against Hezbollah enemies in southern Lebanon. "These targets are located in villages close to the border and pose an immediate threat to Israeli communities in northern Israel," the military added. The IDF said that its incursion, dubbed "Operation Northern Arrows," will continue "according to the situational assessment and in parallel to combat in Gaza and in other arenas." Amid the increased violence, Syrian state-run media also confirmed that one of its television presenters was killed in an Israeli airstrike on Damascus. It came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning to Iran, whom Hamas and Hezbollah are both backed by. He said: "There is nowhere in the Middle East Israel cannot reach. There is nowhere we will not go to protect our people and protect our country."