Hello and welcome to News Hour. It's coming to you live from the BBC World Service

studios in Central London. I'm Tim Franks and we're beginning with the most explicit warning yet from Israel that it's

preparing for a ground invasion into Lebanon. It came today from Lieutenant General

Herzie Hallevi, the head of the IDF, the Israel Defense Forces, he was visiting

troops in northern Israel close to the border.

You hear the planes up there.

We are attacking all day.

This is both to prepare the ground for your potential entry

and to continue hitting Hezbollah.

Today Hezbollah has expanded its arc of fire and later in the day it will receive a very strong response.

You will prepare.

The chief of the IDF went on to say your entry into those areas your encounter with

Hezbollah operatives will show them what it means to face a much stronger and more

experienced force than you are you will go in he continued well in the meantime large-scale Israeli

airstrikes have continued across Lebanon killing dozens the Iran-backed Hezbollah

militia has returned some fire including early this morning local time, launching for the very first time a ballistic missile towards Israel's biggest city, Tel Aviv.

That missile was intercepted by Israeli Air Defence. We'll hear from a spokesman for the

idea for a moment but let's head the other side of the border now to Lebanon and

Fadis Rabe. He's 24 years old he lives in the the town of Amshi Tabanare north of Beirut

And minutes before we spoke he told me he'd seen Israeli airstrikes hit mountains near him

In our areas it's predominantly Christian populated and according to President

Netanyahu he had promised that he had nothing to do with Lebanon he was just targeting

...