Live Updates: Rocket barrage sent toward Haifa and West Bank, Lebanese citizens told to evacuate

The IDF initiated a major round of airstrikes against Hezbollah on Monday following a warning from IDF spokesperson R. Admiral Daniel Hagari to the general public in southern Lebanon to evacuate areas where Hezbollah has stored rockets or undertaken other actions.

The IDF assault on the Lebanese terror organization following Hagari's warning was the second major round of airstrikes of the day.

These waves of air strikes constituted the fifth and sixth round of massive air strikes on Hezbollah since Thursday of last week, especially in southern Lebanon, including further from the border than in some prior cases.  

Hamas has firmly rejected the latest American ceasefire-hostage deal proposal, N12 reported on Monday.

Two sources reportedly confirmed to N12 that Hamas gave a firm 'no' to the deal, adding that the terror organization affirmed it would only agree to a deal that adhered to the July conditions.

The device explosions in Lebanon last week were part of Israel's "red button" plan, designed to be activated at a critical moment for maximum impact against an adversary, current and former Israeli officials with knowledge of the pager operation told the Washington Post.

The double round of device explosions that took place last week throughout Lebanon caused a high number of Hezbollah casualties throughout the country.

According to the report, the plot was primarily part of Israel's long-term strategy to develop its "red button capability" to be prepared for critical moments.

A third Lebanon War has already begun in the wake of the significant IDF strikes against Hezbollah deep into Lebanon, a security official estimated on Monday in comments to Ynet.

"I don't think it's too early to refer to these events in the Northern as the 'Third Lebanon War,'" the official said.

The official told Ynet that in the early afternoon, the IDF will launch an attack "on a massive scale" in rural areas of Lebanon.

"It is entirely possible that the IDF will need to enter Lebanon on the ground," Former Commander of the IDF General Staff Corps, Major-General (Res.) Gershon HaCohen said on Monday. 

This comes against the backdrop of the IDF's preemptive strikes on terror targets deep inside Lebanon and concerns about Hezbollah's response. As northern Israel remains on high alert, HaCohen speculated on the potential direction of Israel's activity and addressed the possibility of a ground maneuver in Lebanon.

"There is no choice; we must, by any means, return the evacuated residents to their homes," HaCohen told 103FM. "The state is struggling to achieve this, given the continual fighting with Hezbollah. Israel has realized that its actions until now cannot bring the residents back home, and so it must change tack."

Regarding the United States' position on the developing conflict, HaCohen said, "President Biden is still trying to make all sides de-escalate. The Americans are afraid of a conflict that could destabilize the region and lead to Iranian intervention. They want us to show restraint. While American interests are respected, there whole of Israel is expecting a solution."

Smoke rises as the Israeli army strikes southern Lebanon on Sept. 22, 2024. (credit: Ramiz Dallah/Anadolu via Getty Images)

How should the IDF act now?

According to HaCohen, "Even without deploying ground forces, the air force - using precise intelligence - can cause significant damage to Hezbollah's fighting capabilities. However, it is entirely possible that we will need to enter with ground forces. The IDF is ready; the IDF has prepared a strategy if needed. While international pressure exists, returning northern residents is now one of Israel's stated war goals."

 A rocket hit an uninhabited mountainside east of the Lebanese port city of Byblos on Monday, Lebanon's state media and a resident there said.

The area has not been previously hit by airstrikes but falls between Christian and Shi'ite villages there, the resident said, declining to be identified. Israel on Monday carried out intensified airstrikes across a wider geographical region, targeting the Lebanese Hezbollah terror group. 

China's embassy in Israel has asked its citizens to leave the country and return to China in a Sunday night statement.

The embassy added that Chinese citizens should not travel to Israel for the time being.

Those who have to stay in Israel should not go out unless necessary, it added.

Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has ordered all members to stop using any type of communication devices after thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies used by its Hezbollah allies in Lebanon blew up in deadly attacks last week, two senior Iranian security officials told Reuters.

One of the security officials said the IRGC is conducting a large-scale operation to inspect all devices, not just communication equipment. He said most of these devices were either homemade or imported from China and Russia.

Iran was concerned about infiltration by Israeli agents, including Iranians on Israel's payroll and a thorough investigation of personnel has already begun, targeting mid and high-ranking members of the IRGC, added the official, who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the matter.