MIDEAST: Direct Confrontation Escalates As IDF Incursion Into Lebanon Grows

In a statement, Hezbollah has claimed that its fighters have 'confronted an attempt' by Israeli forces to advance into Lebanon at the Fatima Gate, a border crossing point at the northern tip of Israel. The land on the Israeli side of the border has been closed off by the military in preparation for a ground incursion. Amid the ongoing incursion by Israeli troops into southern Lebanon, and Hezbollah's continued rocket and drone attacks on Israel, the region remains in a state of nervous expectation as it awaits Israel's response to Iran's missile barrage unleashed earlier in the week. 

• An Israeli military spox earlier this morning accused Hezbollah of smuggling weapons from Syria through the official border crossing as Masnaa. There have been a number of reports over the past 48hours regarding alleged Israeli air strikes on Syria. On 1 Oct Syrian security sources told Reuters that Israel had struck three anti-aircraft radar stations in southern Syria, then on 2 Oct Syrian state media accused Israel of killing three civilians in an airstrike on Damascus. Earlier today Israel is reported to have hit targets on Syria's Mediterranean coast, targeting weapons depots.
• Following US President Joe Biden's comments on 2 Oct deterring an Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities, focus is on what the Netanyahu gov't could respond with. Striking Iranian oil facilities could pose risks to the Strait of Hormuz, while targeted assassinations could spark another Iranian missile barrage. 

Map of Israeli-Lebanese Border