Middle East crisis live: Hezbollah launches drone attack on northern Israel as border skirmishes continue

4.06pm BST

Closing summary

• Two people are dead in south Lebanon as a result of an Israel strike on Monday, according to Lebanon’s health ministry. One of those killed was a paramedic, according to Ali Abbas, a rescue worker who spoke to AFP.

• The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah hit northern Israel in a drone attack early on Monday, in response to what it called “attacks and assassinations” carried out by Israel in several villages in south Lebanon. The Israeli military says the attack wounded two soldiers and set off a fire.

• Nasser Kanaani, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said Tehran was not looking to escalate tensions but punishment was ‘“necessary” as a response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh and to prevent further instability . “No one has the right to doubt Iran’s legal right to punish the Zionist regime,” said Kanaani.

• Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, said it is “justified and moral” to let two million civilians in Gaza die of hunger unless Israeli hostages are returned . Speaking at a press conference in Israel, Smotrich complained that international pressure meant the government had “no choice” but to bring in aid.

• Nearly half of Hamas’ military battalions in Gaza have revived some of their fighting capabilities, according to a CNN special report , despite Netanyahu’s claims that Israeli forces are near their intended goal of eliminating Hamas. Speaking to Congress on 24 July, Netanyahu said, “Victory is in sight.” But analyses by the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, the Institute for the Study of War and CNN show that despite the heavy bombardment of the Strip at least eight battalions remain combat effective.

• Israel has handed over 80 unidentified Palestinian bodies to the Gaza’s civil defence agency, according to Gazan officials. Gaza’s civil defence director Yamen Abu Suleiman told AFP that no information was provided with the bodies, and so there is no clear idea where they came from. “We do not know if they are martyrs [killed in Gaza] or prisoners from [Israel’s] jails”, he added.

• Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader, has criticised Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its handling of the threat of attack from Iran. At a meeting of the centrist party he leads, Yesh Atid, Lapid said there is no “deterrence and no government”.

• Russia’s security council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, reports Russia’s Interfax news agency. In February, Reuters reported that Iran had provided with Russia with a significant number of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

• The Israeli defence secretary, Yoav Gallant, met with US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin overnight to discuss Israel’s preparation for an expected Iranian retaliatory attack. Gallant briefed Austin on the “security developments in the region and IDF readiness to defend Israel against potential threats posed by Iran and its proxies”.

• Volker Türk, the UN high commissioner for human rights, has spoken of his concern at the “rising risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East”. In a statement, Türk urged all parties and influential states “to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation”.

That’s all from the Middle East crisis live blog. Thanks for following along.

Updated at 4.07pm BST

3.56pm BST

Israel has handed over 80 unidentified Palestinian bodies to the Gaza’s civil defence agency, according to Gazan officials.

“We received 80 bodies inside 15 bags, with more than four martyrs in each bag, each wrapped in a single shroud,” Gaza’s civil defence director Yamen Abu Suleiman told AFP.

Abu Suleiman said no information was provided with the bodies, and so there is no clear idea where they came from.

“We do not know if they are martyrs [killed in Gaza] or prisoners from [Israel’s] jails,” he added.

The bodies were buried at the Turkish cemetery, near Khan Yunis, the main city in the southern part of Gaza, AFP journalists said.

Updated at 3.57pm BST

3.12pm BST

Nearly half of Hamas’ military battalions in Gaza have revived some of their fighting capabilities, according to a CNN special report , despite Netanyahu’s claims that Israeli forces are near their intended goal of eliminating Hamas.

Speaking to Congress on 24 July, Netanyahu said, “Victory is in sight.” But analyses by the American Enterprise Institute’s Critical Threats Project, the Institute for the Study of War and CNN show that despite the heavy bombardment of the Strip at least eight battalions remain combat effective. Thirteen more have been degraded but are capable of sporadic, albeit largely unsuccessful guerilla-style attacks, while three are out of action entirely, according to the analysis.

“The Israelis would say that they cleared a place, but they haven’t fully cleared these areas, they haven’t defeated these fighters at all,” said Brian Carter, Middle East portfolio manager for Critical Threats Project (CTP), who led the joint research with the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) into patterns of Hamas and Israeli military activity. “[Hamas] are ready to fight and want to fight.”

2.15pm BST

Russia’s security council secretary, Sergei Shoigu, arrived in Tehran on Monday for talks with the Iranian president Masoud Pezeshkian, reports Russia’s Interfax news agency.

Shoigu will also meet Iran’s national security chief and the head of the general staff, Interfax said.

In February, Reuters reported that Iran had provided with Russia with a significant number of surface-to-surface ballistic missiles.

Last Friday, Russia joined Iran in condemning the assassination of the Hamas leader and pointed out “the extremely dangerous consequences of such actions”.

1.55pm BST

Yair Lapid, the Israeli opposition leader, has criticised Benjamin Netanyahu’s government over its handling of the threat of attack from Iran.

At a meeting of the centrist party he leads, Yesh Atid, Lapid said there is no “deterrence and no government”.

“I would like to ask the Israeli government, is what we are seeing in recent days the new standard?” said Lapid. “Is it acceptable to you that for five days, an entire country has been sitting and waiting to be bombed?

“Is this the new standard that the residents of the north will not receive even a hint from the government as to when they can go home?”

Israel is bracing itself for an attack from Iran after Hamas’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was assassinated in Tehran. According to Axios, US secretary of state Antony Blinken told a G7 meeting on Sunday that an attack could begin within 24 to 48 hours.

“This government will fall when the Knesset returns from the most unnecessary and wretched recess in the country’s history,” said Lapid.

Updated at 3.03pm BST

1.18pm BST

Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, has spoken of his concern at the “rising risk of a wider conflict in the Middle East”.

In a statement, Türk urged all parties and influential states “to act urgently to de-escalate what has become a very precarious situation”.

“Human rights – first and foremost the protection of civilians – must be the top priority. Already, over the past 10 months, civilians – mostly women and children – have endured unbearable pain and suffering as result of the bombs and guns.

Everything, and I mean everything, must be done to avoid this situation spiralling further into an abyss that will only have even more terrible consequences for civilians.”

12.38pm BST

Israel’s defence minister, Yoav Gallant , said he spoke today with his Italian counterpart and “updated him on security developments and threats posed by Iran and its proxies.”

“We urge our partners to stand with Israel at this time,” he said.

12.26pm BST

Iran’s foreign ministry has called in ambassadors and heads of missions for a meeting with the country’s acting foreign minister, Ali Bagheri Kani , to reiterate Iran’s will to respond to Israel, Reuters reports.

12.14pm BST

Spain’s foreign minister, José Manuel Albares , has spoken with his Jordanian counterpart, Ayman Safadi , about the risk of escalation in the Middle East.

12.11pm BST

Ireland’s foreign minister, Micheál Martin , has asked citizens to avoid travel to Israel.

11.57am BST

The World Health Organisation has delivered 32 tons of medical supplies to Lebanon in anticipation of a potential full-scale conflict in the Middle East.

“The goal is to get these supplies and medicines to various hospitals and to the health sector in Lebanon, especially in the places most exposed [to hostilities] so that we can be ready to deal with any emergency,” said Lebanese health minister Firass Abiad.

Last week, the Israeli military killed a senior commander of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, sparking fears of a wider regional war.

Thousands of people are leaving Lebanon with the British government advising its citizens to flee the country “while commercial routes are still available”.

Updated at 12.02pm BST

11.21am BST

The Israeli defence secretary, Yoav Gallant, met with US secretary of defence Lloyd Austin overnight to discuss Israel’s preparation for an expected Iranian retaliatory attack.

The president of Iran, Masoud Pezeshkian, has said the assassination of Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran was a “major mistake by the Zionist regime [Israel] that will not go unanswered”.

According to a statement from the Israeli defence secretary’s team, Gallant briefed Austin on the “security developments in the region and IDF readiness to defend Israel against potential threats posed by Iran and its proxies”.

“He [Gallant] discussed a series of scenarios and corresponding defensive and offensive capabilities” and “expressed his appreciation to Secretary Austin for the close military and strategic coordination between Israel and the United States, including the current and future deployment of US military capabilities and force posture changes in defence of Israel”.

Gallant also stressed the importance of “US leadership in forming a coalition of allies and partners to defend Israel and the region from a range of aerial attacks”.

Updated at 11.22am BST

10.31am BST

Israel’s finance minister, Bezalel Smotrich, has said it is “justified and moral” to let two million civilians in Gaza die of hunger unless Israeli hostages are returned .

Speaking at a press conference in Israel, Smotrich complained that international pressure meant the government had “no choice” but to bring in aid.

The far-right politician argued that the main factor extending the war was aid sustaining Hamas, and that the Israeli government must regain full control over what enters Gaza. He criticised defence secretary Yoav Gallant and the military for their willingness to let supplies in to the besieged territory and implied the prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu should intervene and force a change of policy.

“I don’t know if the prime minister doesn’t want to or isn’t managing to rein them in,” he said.

“Nobody will let us cause two million civilians to die of hunger even though it might be justified and moral until our hostages are returned,” said Smotrich. “Humanitarian in exchange for humanitarian is morally justified, but what can we do? We live today in a certain reality, we need international legitimacy for this war.”

Updated at 10.35am BST

9.50am BST

Two dead in Israeli strike, says Lebanon health ministry

Two people are dead in south Lebanon as a result of an Israel strike, according to Lebanon’s health ministry.

One of those killed was a paramedic who had travelled to inspect the site of an earlier strike for casualties, according to Ali Abbas, a rescue worker, who was speaking to AFP.

He went “to see if there were civilians or people [in the area]... and the second strike happened immediately,” Abbas said.

The attack took place in Mais Al-Jabal, a village less than two miles from the Israeli-Lebanon border. Most residents have been evacuated from the village to avoid the trading of fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which has happened almost daily since the start of the Gaza war in October.

9.09am BST

Punishing Israel is necessary, says Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson

Nasser Kanaani, Iran’s foreign ministry spokesperson, said Tehran was not looking to escalate tensions but punishment was ‘“necessary” as a response to the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in the Iranian capital and to prevent further instability.

“No one has the right to doubt Iran’s legal right to punish the Zionist regime,” said Kanaani.

Updated at 11.31am BST

8.52am BST

Hezbollah launches drone attack on northern Israel

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah has hit northern Israel in a drone attack in response to what it called “attacks and assassinations” carried out by Israel in several villages in south Lebanon. The Israeli military says the attack wounded two soldiers and set off a fire.

The violence came amid fears of an all-out war after the killing of a senior Hezbollah commander in Lebanon and Hamas’s political leader in Iran.

The Hezbollah attack appears more in keeping with ongoing border skirmishes, rather than as a direct response to the political assassinations.

The Israeli military said fire services were working to put out a fire that was ignited as a result of the attack in Ayelet HaShahar in the upper Galilee.

Updated at 11.52am BST

8.39am BST

Opening summary

US President Joe Biden will meet his national security team to discuss the situation in the Middle East on Monday, the White House has said, as fears grow that Iran will strike Israel in retaliation for the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last week.

Biden would also speak to Jordan’s King Abdullah II , the White House said. Jordanian foreign minister, Ayman Safadi , made a rare trip to Iran at the weekend in a bid to restrain Iran.

The attempt looked doomed to fail. In a meeting with Safadi on Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said the assassination of Haniyeh was a “major mistake by the Zionist regime [Israel] that will not go unanswered”, Iranian state TV reported.

The US has said it will defend Israel in the event of an attack and moved warships and fighter jets to the region; it has also embarked on another round of frantic diplomacy aimed at deescalating tensions that were inflamed last week after Haniyeh’s killing and that of a senior Hezbollah commander in Beirut.

Israel, which claimed responsibility for the Beirut attack, has not admitted any involvement in Haniyeh’s assassination although it is widely believed to be behind it.

“The overall goal is to turn the temperature down in the region, deter and defend against those attacks, and avoid regional conflict,” Jonathan Finer , the White House’s deputy national security adviser, said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” programme on Sunday.

The US and Israel are preparing for every possibility, Finer added.

In other key developments:

• US secretary of state Antony Blinken spoke with Iraqi prime minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani and emphasised “the importance of all parties taking steps to calm regional tensions, avoid further escalation, and advance stability,” the state department said . Al-Sudani told Blinken that preventing regional escalation was tied to stopping Israeli “aggression” in the Gaza Strip, Iraqi state media said.

• US news service Axios reported that Blinken had told his counterparts from G7 countries that Iran and Hezbollah could start attacking Israel as early as Monday, citing three sources briefed on the call . But Blinken, according to Axios, said it was unclear how Iran and Hezbollah would attack and did not know the exact timing. When asked about the report, the state department referred to a readout of the call, where it said the ministers discussed “the urgent need for de-escalation in the Middle East.”

• Israel is already in a “multi-front war” with Iran and its proxies, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a cabinet meeting on Sunday, and that the country was prepared for any scenario . Military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said there was “no change in the Home Front Command’s defence policy” but that Israel’s protection was not “hermetic”.

• Israeli airstrikes hit two schools and a hospital complex in Gaza on Sunday, killing at least 30 people . The attacks on two schools in Gaza City killed at least 25 people sheltering there on Sunday, and another attack on the courtyard of al-Aqsa hospital killed at least five people and set the tents of displaced people on fire.

• The toll from the war in Gaza reached 39,580 on Sunday, the territory’s health authorities said. Not all the dead have been identified, but civilians make up a majority of the 25,000 who have been named. Thousands more are believed to be buried under the rubble of buildings destroyed in Israeli attacks and tens of thousands have been injured.