Washington gave Israel the green light to mount an offensive, in contrast to its public calls for a ceasefire, sources have claimed

• • Israel's Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a series of devastating attacks on Hezbollah.
  • He has rejected or ignored a series of attempts by the US to head off a wider conflict.
  • Biden has been criticized for trying to stop a wider war while still sending arms to Israel.

The Hezbollah deputy says the group is not going anywhere and is ready for an Israeli ground offensive into Lebanon

Reports of elite troops operating in Hezbollah tunnels as IDF airstrikes hit Beirut and tanks mass on the frontier

Israel has wiped out a number of top Hezbollah commanders as they look to continue destroying the para-militant group.

Diplomats were hoping to calm matters - they will be looking at events with dismay.

Western allies have stepped in as chaos continues to rain down on civilians in the Middle East, with analysts fearing the worst is yet to come.

Hezbollah’s leader has said Israel wanted to ‘kill 5000’ with its device attacks – but just as he was speaking Israel performed a mock air raid on Beirut

More than 30 killed, thousands wounded over 2 days after devices used by Hezbollah were detonated

Thousands of walkie-talkies used by Hezbollah terrorists have blown up in a second deadly wave of explosions across Lebanon, as Israel declares a “new phase of war”.

As the Middle East implodes, fears are growing of a global war which would be “far more devastating than anything seen so far”.

Israel yet to make statement about detonations across Lebanon that killed a 10-year-old girl and left 400 in a reported critical condition

The Biden administration has been mounting an intensive campaign to encourage both sides to de-escalate.

Western media reports suggest Israel's secret service planted bombs inside the building Ismail Haniyeh was staying in.

The head of Hamas has been assassinated — leading to warnings we are on the brink of a “full-scale war”.