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

In response to questions about the last time the IDF received a sign of life from Hamas head Yahya Sinwar, IDF Spokesperson R. Admiral Hagari said he could neither confirm nor deny if Sinwar was alive.

In a televised statement on Monday morning, Hagari said, "Regarding what has come up in the past days about Sinwar's situation, I can neither confirm nor deny it. "

This question came after circulating speculations and reports on Sunday that Sinwar had been killed.

"We have one mission—to reach Sinwar, and we will," Hagari added.

Former CIA director Leon Panetta called Israel's targeted pager attack on Hezbollah terrorists last week "a form of terrorism" in an interview on CBS on Sunday.

Asked whether he thought Israel should be condemned for the operation, he said, "I think it’s going to be very important for the nations of the world to have a serious discussion."

"Mark my words, it is the battlefield for the future," Panetta added.

Israel's Home Front Command warned on Monday morning to expect a day of heavy fighting with Hezbollah, Army Radio reported. 

The IDF, around 6:30 a.m. on Monday, initiated a fifth round of massive air strikes on Hezbollah, especially in southern Lebanon, including further from the border than in some prior cases.  

IDF Chief Spokesman Daniel Hagari, for the first time, issued a broad warning to the general public in southern Lebanon that if they have not already moved away from houses and other civilian buildings where they live and reside - but where Hezbollah has stored rockets or undertaken other actions - now they must leave those areas.

Hagari's warning was unusual and different from mass evacuation warnings issued to date in Gaza.

On the one hand, it was the first sort of mass evacuation warning to southern Lebanese regarding areas where Hezbollah is operating.

The IDF is currently conducting extensive strikes on terror targets belonging to the Hezbollah terrorist organization in Lebanon, the IDF announced early Monday morning. 

The IDF launched interceptors at a UAV from Iraq that was detected crossing from Syria into Israeli territory, the military stated on Sunday.

Alarms were sounded in the Beit She'an Valley and the southern Golan areas, and no injuries were reported. 

The Islamic Resistance in Iraq terrorist group said on Sunday evening it had launched a drone attack at a target in the Jordan Valley.

No injuries have been reported.

The IDF stated on Sunday that they can neither confirm nor deny reports on the possible death of Hamas Chief Yahya Sinwar. 

Among sources consulted by The Jerusalem Post, a top source poured cold water on the notion, another source – who would be expected to have information – said they had no real information on it, while others noted disagreements within the defense establishment.

No sources referred to any kind of specific assassination operation that the IDF had carried out to kill him.

Rather, part of the debate may surround the idea that he has been out of touch with his middlemen who handled hostage negotiations and messaging – who have been out of touch for a longer period than usual.

The IAF conducted a precise strike on Hamas terrorists who were operating inside a command and control center in the central Gaza Strip, The IDF announced on Sunday overnight.

The command and control center, which was embedded inside a compound that previously served as the 'Khaled ibn al-Walid' School, was used by Hamas terrorists to plan and execute terrorist attacks against IDF troops and the State of Israel. Prior to the strike, numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians, including the use of precise munitions, aerial surveillance, and additional intelligence information, the IDF added.

Al-Manar

Shortly after the IDF announcement, Al-Manar, the Hezbollah media arm, announced on Telegram that three were killed and several had been injured in the strike, though this has not been confirmed by the IDF.