We begin in the Middle East, where Israel's Prime Minister has promised he will do everything to restore security at its northern border with Lebanon. That's after the Israeli Defense Forces launched air strikes against Hezbollah. Israel says it identified preparations for a large-scale attack. Now, these pictures just released by the IDF show them attacking a number of Hezbollah targets. Israel's Defense Minister has issued a 48-hour state of emergency in the country. Now, Al Hezbollah said it launched more than 300 rockets and drones at Israel and targeted 11 military sites in response to the killing of its top commander in Beirut last month. The group has said this was an initial response and that it has completed phase one of an attack on Israel. These are live pictures from the Israel-Lebanon border, which has had a number of missile strikes in the last couple of hours. And this was the IDF's announcement earlier from IDF spokesperson, Rea Admiral Daniel Hageri.

From right next to the homes of Lebanese civilians in the south of Lebanon, we can see that Hezbala is preparing to launch an extensive attack on Israel. While endangering the Lebanese civilians. We warn the civilians located in the areas where Hezbala is operating to move out of harm's way immediately for their own safety. Hezbala's ongoing aggression risks dragging the people of Lebanon, the people of Israel, and the whole region into a wider escalation. Israel will not tolerate Hezbala's attacks on our civilians. We are operating in self-defense from Hezbala and any other enemy that joins in their attacks against us. And we are ready to do everything, everything we need to defend the people of Israel.

That was the IDF specs person, Daniel Hagari. Well, meanwhile, the Pentagon has said in its words, the US is postured to support Israel, and the President, Joe Biden, has instructed officials to maintain close communication on developments. Laura Blumenfield is a Middle East analyst and former senior policy adviser on the State Department Parliament's Israeli-Palestinian negotiating team. She told us more about the strikes and reactions from both parties.

The Israelis have called for a 48-hour period of emergency. Their Secretary of Defense, Their Defense Minister, Galant, is calling on the population. So it's not just one night, one and done. On the other hand, so much about these exchanges since October seventh has been not so much about being strong but being smart. And so it's our intelligence versus your intelligence battle here. The Israelis were clearly caught by surprise on October seventh. The Shukr assassination was an intelligence coup for Israel, as was the Haneia assassination in Teheran. So I think Hezbollah is feeling like they need to show that they can in some way, penetrate and shift that dignity back into balance. It's possible that they already have, it's horrible to say, but wounded one person in Akha, which is quite deep into Israeli territory, that that might satisfy the need for a publicly saving face.

Now, also, just one update for you. The Lebanese Ministry, according to news agencies as well as local reports, is saying that one died in the Israeli strike in the south of Lebanon. Our news correspondent, John Donison, is in Jerusalem, and he told us about the fears of escalations in the region.

This is clearly a significant and ongoing escalation. We're not at the point of full-scale war yet, but that is clearly the fear, not just here in Israel, but in Lebanon and the wider region. Israel's saying around 100 fighter jets were used in this operation last night, hitting around 200 targets in Lebanon. Now, if that's the case, then That is the most serious attack on Hezbollah since the full-scale war between Israel and Lebanon back in 2006. Now, in the last few weeks, we've seen intense diplomatic efforts to try and stop the crisis in Gaza escalating into a wider regional conflict. But the United States has warned that the failure to get a ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza could see this escalating into a regional conflict. At the moment, judging on what's happened this morning, you'd have to say that those diplomatic efforts have not worked.

John, Hisbulla has said that this was in response to the killing of its top commander, Fouad Shukr, on the 30th of July. Of course, there's also the fact that Ismail Haneia was assassinated in Iran, and that Iran, which backs Hezbollah, also vowed a strong response. I wonder whether putting all of this into context, can we see this as Is that a tit for tat, or is that the real risk that this could meet further responses from Hezbollah as well as Iran?

Well, I think tit for tat downplays the significance of this. When Israel is believed to have assassinated the leader of Hamas, Ismail Haneia, in Tehran, the day before they had assassinated, as you say, a very senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon, Fouad Shoka. We have been waiting for some response from Iran and from Hezbollah. Now, in the past few weeks, that response has not really come. There has been some cross-border activity between Hezbollah and Israel in the north, but not really significant until this morning. We've not had any response from Iran to the targeting of Ismail Haneia inside the Iranian capital. The fears have been for the last few weeks that that response was coming. Certainly from the north, from Hezbollah, we've got something this morning.

And John, you're in Jerusalem. We've been hearing these reports of sirens that have been blaring in Israel as well in certain cities. I wonder what your assessment is of the security situation in Israel, especially given that the New York Times is reporting that this attack by Hezbollah was also aiming Tel Aviv.

Yeah, and of course, Tel Aviv is deep into Israel. It's in central Israel, really. So that would be hugely significant if they managed to penetrate Israel's missile defense system. Here in Jerusalem this morning, I have to say it feels relatively normal. I'm sure lots of people will be waking up and reading the news and have concerns. We did see some military helicopters flying across the sky earlier this morning, some heading north. But certainly in Jerusalem, it feels relatively normal at the moment.

Well, a reminder, you'll see a QR code on your screen that will take you to our BBC News Live page on our website and app, where our correspondence are providing updates and analysis. Our BBC Newsroom is also bringing in any reaction and information as it comes. In the meantime, here on the news channel, let's speak to our senior international correspondent who's in Southern Lebanon. That's Ola Garan. Ola, good to How have you? Now, given all your experience and your time there, could you put this into perspective for us? Because the New York Times is reporting that Tel Aviv was a target. We know that Ben Gurian is now open, the international airport is open. But when you look back at this wall, how significant an escalation is this?

Well, we know that the Israelis are saying Tel Aviv would have been targeted, but that didn't actually happen because of their preemptive strike. We're certainly in a new stage as a day. We had been expecting this retaliation for some time now. It was at the end of last month that an Israeli strike killed a senior, a top Hezbollah commander, Fuad Shukr, in the heart of Hezbollah's stronghold in Southern Beirut, a place called Daghia. And Hezbollah had vowed it would respond. Now, similarly, the Iranians had vowed they would respond for the assassination of the Hamas leader or Ismail Haneia in Teeran. Both had held off, and the feeling had been that they were waiting to see how the ceasefire attempts being led by the Americans and the Egyptians and the Qataris would play out. Well, certainly, Hezbollah is waiting no more. They said in a statement this morning that this was the first phase of a large-scale operation and that its full response would take some time and that the punishment will be hard harsh and severe. Now, I think we need to look carefully at the targets that were hit by Hezbollah today so far.

They were 11 military targets inside Israel. So not critical infrastructure, not civilian areas, but military targets. This is according to Hezbollah. We have had no reports from Israel yet of any casualties, and certainly no reports of civilian casualties. Similarly, on this side in Lebanon, the Israelis have hit more than 200 targets, they say, but we have not received any reports of civilian casualties. I should tell you, Azadeh, that about 30 or 40 minutes ago in the hills behind us, we saw two very large plumes of smoke from two detonations, two explosions. Israel had obviously struck close to the border area, which is in that direction. But I think the key to this is that so far, we are not being told that any civilians have been injured or killed, because that, again, could be the trigger for another escalation. It's by no means clear when Hezbollah plans to carry out its next phase. It says it will happen, but it certainly may not happen today. So I think for now, Israel has got its preemptive strike in. Hezbollah has managed to fire, by its own account, 320 rockets into Israel and sending some drones. So for the moment, Hezbollah has made its point.

Now we have to see if Israel is going to take further action.

All right, Ola Gerin there. Thank you for all that insight. And again, Ola there has raised that there are still a lot of questions that haven't been answered, including verifying the nature of those military targets, as well as how things could develop, of course.