Samantha Granville
Reporting from Beirut

The humming of drones has taken over Beirut this morning.

Israeli drones (including surveillance UAVs like the Hermes 450) have been spotted and heard over the city and its southern suburbs of Dahiyeh, a Hezbollah stronghold.

These are primarily Israeli reconnaissance/ surveillance drones supporting the ongoing "offensive campaign" against Hezbollah targets, amid explosions, evacuations and heavy Israeli air activity.

It follows Israel's airstrikes overnight in response to Hezbollah firing drones and rockets to the northern city of Haifa.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, EPA

In Israel, a spokesperson for the military is briefing reporters. Asked by one if the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) is preparing for ground operations in Lebanon following fresh exchanges of fire, he says "all options are on the table".

Hezbollah "will pay a heavy price" for striking Israel, he says, adding: "We are prepared — well prepared.

"We have mobilised close to 100,000 reservists; dozens of battalions, brigades, divisions, deployed in defence of the northern border, and prepared for all possibilities, in defence and in attack.

"We are holding situation assessments and all options are on the table."

Ghoncheh Habibiazad
Senior reporter, BBC Persian

The Iranian Red Crescent Society says 555 people have been killed in Iran following attacks by the US and Israel across more than 130 cities.

Image source, Reuters

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides has shared more detail on the drone strike on a UK military base on British territory in southern Cyprus.

Just after midnight, "a Shahed unmanned aerial vehicle" crashed into the UK military facilities in Akrotiri "causing minor material damage", says the update on X. Shaheds are Iranian drones.

The president says that he is "constant contact" with Europe's leaders, and those of other countries. He adds that Cyprus "does not intend to be part of any military operation".

This follows the latest statement from the British Ministry of Defence, saying that it was moving family members out of the Akrotiri base.

Hezbollah's attack on Israel puts Lebanon in precarious situationpublished at 08:25 GMT

08:25 GMT

Lina Sinjab
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Image source, EPA

Hezbollah's attack on Israel is widely described here as a suicide attempt for the group and for the country.

The action is dragging the country into a new war with Israel where Lebanon will be the loser.

The country has not recovered yet from the prolonged war that crippled Hezbollah 18 months ago, and left many of their strongholds destroyed.

People here feel that the group has prioritised the Iranian interests over the national ones. The ones who are most affected are Hezbollah's followers whose homes, villages and towns are under fire.

Once again, they are fleeing and taking to the streets as shelter.

More now from UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, who estimates there are 300,000 British citizens in the Gulf region.

She says 102,000 of them have "registered their presence" with the UK Foreign Office, meaning they will receive direct updates on travel advice and safety.

Many countries currently have closed their air space closed, meaning Brits are facing difficulties returning to the UK.

Cooper calls the situation "deeply stressful" and says the government - who are taking the issue "so seriously" - are working "immensely hard" to help people return home safely.

As the situation develops, the foreign secretary says Brits abroad will be given instructions "as we go along" and that her team are "looking at every possible option" regarding travel.

Some breaking news from Kuwait - a "several American fighter aircraft came down this morning", says Kuwait's Ministry of Defence.

The crews "survived unscathed", and were evacuated and transferred to hospitals for health checks, it adds, and confirms the conditions of the crews as "stable".

The Ministry of Defence adds that it is coordinating with its US ally regarding the "circumstances of the incident", and is continuing investigations into the "causes of the incident".

UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is talking to BBC Breakfast now about the apparent Iranian drone strike on RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus.

She says there has been Iranian strikes on countries across the Gulf, and other places that were not involved in strikes on Iran.

This "shows seriousness of the reckless way the Iranian regime is operating", she says. The UK has not been involved in attacks on Iran, she adds.

(Although British planes did not attack Iran, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said last night the UK would allow the US to use UK bases for "defensive" strikes on Iranian missile sites).

Asked where the strike on Akrotiri was launched from or by whom, Cooper says she doesn't have the full information, but that the MoD will release more detail as soon as it's able.

We'll bring you any more key lines from Cooper shortly.

Image source, Reuters

The future of the Middle East depends on the outcome of the US-Israel war on Iran, Israel's president tells our colleagues on BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Isaac Herzog says: "We are in a historic juncture where the future of the Middle East depends on the success of this operation."

He describes the Islamic Republic as "the empire of evil" that wants to "wipe us off the map".

Pressed on the legality of Israel's attacks, Herzog says that Iran has "tried to attack Israel from all corners of the Earth".

He says: "We have huge amount of proof which we are sharing of course with our British allies and every other allies.

"We want to make sure that there is a real change in the region."

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

New pictures show plumes of smoke rising over Kuwait City.

This follows reports of a possible attack near the US embassy there. The embassy has issued a warning to US citizens in Kuwait not to come to the embassy, and to take shelter at home.

One person had been reported as killed in Kuwait yesterday, as Iran launched strikes across the Middle East. Kuwait - a US ally with a US military base - also said it had intercepted missiles fired towards it.

Image source, AFP via Getty Images

We can now bring you the latest statement from the British Ministry of Defence, following an apparent Iranian drone attack on RAF Akrotiri last night:

"The safety of our personnel and their families is our absolute priority.

"As a precautionary measure we are moving family members who live at RAF Akrotiri to alternative accommodation nearby on the island of Cyprus.

"Our base and personnel continue to operate as normal protecting the safety of Britain and our interests."

The RAF base is in part of Cyprus that is British sovereign territory, formally known as the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Three armed drones have been shot down above Erbil airport, in the Kurdistan region of northern Iraq, according to Reuters news agency, citing security sources.

US troops are stationed at the airport.

This follows reports from a journalist with the AFP news agency that loud bangs had been heard near the base.

The US also intercepted drones at the airport over the weekend.

Image source, EPA

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent

The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) tells the BBC there was minimal damage at RAF Akrotiri after last night’s drone attack.

Operations continue as normal, it adds.

It also denies reports that some staff may be sent home from Cyprus.

Investigations are under way to establish where the drone was fired from.

The US embassy in Kuwait is telling people to avoid coming to the embassy, and to shelter at home.

"Do not come to the embassy," says the guidance published on its website. "Take cover in your residence on the lowest available floor and away from windows. Do not go outside."

It also urges US citizens in Kuwait to "shelter in place, review security plans in the event of an attack and to stay alert in case of additional future attacks".

US embassy personnel "are sheltering in place", it adds.

Earlier smoke was seen rising from the area of the US embassy in Kuwait.

Image source, EPA

The Israeli military has launched an "offensive campaign" against Hezbollah that is likely to last several days, IDF Chief of Staff Eyal Zamir confirms.

“We have begun an offensive campaign against Hezbollah. We are not just on the defensive, now we go on the offence,” he says.

“We need to prepare for several days of fighting, many. We need strong defensive readiness and continuous offensive preparedness, in waves."

Smoke has been seen rising from, or near, the US Embassy in Kuwait, news agencies AFP and Reuters report.

Firefighters and ambulances have been seen in the area, Reuters says.

We will bring you more details when we get them.

Israeli strikes on Beirut and southern Lebanon have killed 31 people and injured 149, according to Lebanon's health ministry.

The toll is preliminary, a statement adds.

Stick with us as we bring you the latest.

Lebanon pulled into widening conflictpublished at 05:50 GMT

05:50 GMT

Jon Donnison
Reporting from Jerusalem

There is now a new front in a war that is spreading across the Middle East.

Last night Hezbollah, the Lebanese Shia militia group that has been backed by Iran to the tune of billions of dollars, fired missiles at the Israeli city of Haifa.

Israel responded with a wide-ranging air assault. Hezbollah’s stronghold in the southern suburbs of Beirut was targeted as well as areas close to the city’s airport.

In the south of the country, Israel has told people in more than 50 Lebanese villages to evacuate, with strikes there too.

Hezbollah is no longer the force it was after being pummelled by Israel in the war 18 months ago. But with strong ideological, religious and financial ties to Iran, it was almost inevitable the group would be pulled into a conflict in which almost every country in the Middle East is now embroiled.

About half an hour ago the IDF said in a statement that it had identified missiles launched from Iran towards Israel.

The Home Front Command sent a "precautionary directive" to mobile phones in the relevant areas, telling people to enter a protected space and remain there until further notice.

About 10 minutes ago, the IDF released another statement saying people across the country are now "permitted to leave protected spaces" but to "remain near them".

At a glance, here's the damage that Iranian strikes have caused in Israel:

At least nine people were killed and dozens were injured after an Iranian missile strike on the Israeli city of Beit Shemesh on Sunday - the deadliest attack on Israel since this war began.

Missile attacks continued on Israel into Sunday evening. Most were intercepted but one fell on a street in the Jerusalem area injuring at least three people.

Image source, Reuters

Before the IDF announced fresh strikes in Lebanon, a senior Israeli military official was warning that Hezbollah would "pay a heavy price" for its strikes.

"Hezbollah Chose the Iranian Regime Over the State of Lebanon and Initiated an Attack on Our Civilians. We Were Prepared - and They Will Pay a Heavy Price," said Rafi Milo, the chief of the IDF's Northern Command, in a recent statement published by the IDF.

He says they will "continue to protect" residents in northern Israel and "will not evacuate" them.

The IDF, however, is "acting to evacuate civilians in southern Lebanon ahead of further strikes", he says.

"The strikes continue - their intensity will increase."