Israel sent troops into southern Lebanon on Tuesday and warned residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an "open war" with Israel in the wake of the U.

As Israel intensifies its campaign against the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia, Lebanon is now teetering on the brink of being fully sucked into the escalating US and Israeli war on Iran – a fate the fragile Lebanese government has been desperate to avoid.

The IDF has been deployed across Lebanon’s south following Hezbollah’s decision to join the war on behalf of Iran.

Israel said it deployed more forces in Lebanon to protect its people, but its military chief said the goal is more ambitious: to disarm Hezbollah. Israel made plans for the incursion well in advance.

Israeli airstrikes hit Beirut airport road near Hezbollah stronghold, killing three and raising fears of escalating conflict in Lebanon.

Iran struck the U.S. Embassy in Saudi Arabia’s capital with a drone early Tuesday, while the United States and Israel pounded Iran with airstrikes.

Our Beirut bureau chief, Christina Goldbaum, reports on the escalating conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed armed group Hezbollah, as Israel’s military seizes areas of southern Lebanon and carries out bombings.