MEZIESBLOG

The US was not involved in Israel’s “preemptive” strikes against Hezbollah last night but did provide intelligence and surveillance support, an official has said.

The official told NBC News that America supported tracking incoming Hezbollah attacks but “did not conduct any kinetic operations as they were not required”.

The US is continuing to “closely monitor the situation” and remains “well-postured and ready to support the defence of Israel from attacks by Iran and any of its proxies”, they added.

Top US military official arrives in Israel for talks after airstrikes

US military official General CQ Brown has arrived in Israel hours after the country’s cross-border clashes with Hezbollah.

Mr Brown, who is the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is scheduled to hold talks with senior Israeli military officials.

It comes shortly after his visit to Egypt, in which he was told by president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi that the international community needed to “exert all efforts and intensify pressures to defuse tension and stop the state of escalation that threatens the security and stability of the entire region”.

Here’s your evening rundown

If you’re just joining us this Sunday evening, here’s a quick recap of what’s happened so far today:

• Israel has launched a wave of “pre-emptive” airstrikes against Hezbollah in southern Lebanon overnight – as the militant group said it had fired drones and hundreds of rockets;
• Hezbollah said its attack was an initial response to the killing of one of its founders and top commanders in an Israeli airstrike in Beirut last month;
• At least three people were killed in the strikes in Lebanon, according to reports;
• In Israel, military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani said initial assessments found “very little damage”;
• Some flights to and from Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport have been suspended;
• Both sides halted the exchange of fire by mid-morning, pointing to no immediate further escalation;
• Israel and Hezbollah have both said they want to avoid any escalation into a full-scale war – but Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the strikes were “not the end of the story”;
• Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said the response to the killing of one of its commanders was delayed for several reasons, including to give ceasefire talks a chance. He also said the attack was carried out “as planned” and that the group had targeted an Israeli military base near Tel Aviv;
• The White House said Joe Biden was following events closely.