UN concern as Israel-Lebanon situation worsens

By Nathan Morley

Fighting between Israel and Hezbollah has intensified, with rockets and drones being fired from both sides of the border.

The situation between Lebanon and Israel is now being described as very serious. Throughout the morning, sirens sounded across many parts of northern Israel. 

It is so bad that the United Nations warned the region is "on the brink of imminent catastrophe" as fears of an all-out war grow.

On Saturday evening, both sides carried out large cross-border strikes. Reports from Jerusalem suggest Hezbollah launched over 150 rockets into Israel in retaliation for recent attacks.

There have also been reports of rockets landing much further into Israel than in previous launches, and of damage to homes and injuries, but details remain sketchy. One report carried on Israel TV said rockets had landed in Haifa, a city in northern Israel.

A hospital in the city is reportedly relocating patients to an underground car park. Furthermore, Israel has ordered all schools in the country's north to shut until Monday evening.

For its part, Israel conducted air strikes on targets in southern Lebanon and claimed it had destroyed thousands of Hezbollah's rocket launchers.

Adding to the violence, British radio reports the Islamic Resistance in Iraq launched multiple drones and missiles at Israel from Iraq on Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, the death toll from Thursday's attack on a Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut has risen to 45. 

Elsewhere, Israeli troops have raided the offices of Al Jazeera in Ramallah and ordered it to close.