Israel war rages on as Iranian targets revealed

Israel’s plans in response to Tehran’s ballistic missile attack have been revealed, as the bombardment of Beirut's southern suburbs continues. Follow live updates.

Israel has continued its bombardment of Beirut’s southern suburbs, as plans about its Iranian targets have been revealed.

There were new strikes in Beirut’s south overnight, reports Lebanese state media, after Israel’s military warned people to evacuate the area, reports

Israel launched an intense wave of air raids on southern Lebanon on Monday, with 100 aircraft targeting about 120 sites in the space of an hour, according to the Israeli military (IDF).

An IDF Arabic spokesperson issued an urgent warning to Lebanese civilians to avoid being on the beach or on boats on the coast from the Awali River southward until further notice.

This picture taken from the southern city of Tyre shows smoke billowing from the site of an Israeli air strike that targeted the southern Lebanese village of Rmadiyeh, on October 7. Picture: AFP

Meanwhile, Israel’s plans for how it will respond to last week’s Tehran ballistic missile attack have been revealed.

Israel is not expected to hit Iranian nuclear sites, and instead is more likely to focus on military bases, or intelligence or leadership targets, unnamed officials told the New York Times. Israel may later go for the nuclear program if Iran responds.

Former and current senior Israeli officials “acknowledged doubts” about whether Israel could do serious damage to Iran’s nuclear program, however officials at the Pentagon were said to be considering whether Israel would decide in any case that this is the best time to target it, the outlet reported.

The report questions whether a potential strike would be effective enough to sufficiently hamper the nuclear program, or could instead just send it underground or lead to Tehran accelerating it.

It says that Washington has instead urged sabotage, diplomacy and sanctions as the best way to deal with the program.

Palestinians walk beneath the tilted minaret of a destroyed mosque in the Shujaiya neighbourhood of Gaza City on October 7, 2024, on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas group. Picture: AFP

Destroyed buildings in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 7, 2024 on the first anniversary of the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas. Picture: AFP

It comes as more Australians escaping Lebanon are expected to arrive home later this week, with Qantas set to operate another free non-stop flight from Cyprus back to Sydney.

The second flight, ASY1270, is expected to depart Larnaca on Wednesday evening and arrive back in Australia on Thursday evening.

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