Hundreds of Israeli tanks have lined up along the Lebanon border as fears grow over an anticipated ground invasion that could plunge the Middle East into an all-out war.

It came as Israel also launched a fresh wave of airstrikes against Houthi ­targets in Yemen on Sunday amid fears that the raging conflict could spill out across the region.

The Israel-Hamas war has escalated in recent days after the IDF said it had wiped out Hezbollah’s top brass in the airstrike on southern Beirut that killed the group’s leader, Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli troops and tanks were last night seen gathering in the north, on their border with southern Lebanon, in apparent preparation for a ground invasion. 

The last time Israel launched a ground offensive of Lebanon was in 2006, when 34 days of intense cross-border fighting with Hezbollah ended in a stalemate.

The United States has issued an 11th-hour appeal to both sides for restraint, with US president Joe Biden warning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that an all-out war in the Middle East must be avoided. Israel claimed that more than 20 senior Hezbollah members including Ali Karaki – who was in charge of the southern front – were assassinated in the attack on Friday alongside Nasrallah.

Reuters reported Nasrallah’s body was found yesterday, and videos circulating on social media purport to show his body being retrieved.

Hezbollah – the Iran-backed terror group in Lebanon – confirmed that Nasrallah, who led it for 32 years, was killed in Friday’s strike. Hashem Safieddine is expected to take over as the leader.

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