This morning, sirens warning of incoming rocket fire have been sounding across northern Israel, including in Haifa, which has been targeted repeatedly by Hezbollah in recent days.

The alarms have also been activated in communities near Haifa, including Wadi Ara, Karmiel, and Menashe.

The Israeli military says that following the sirens, two projectiles were identified crossing from Lebanon and were intercepted by the air force.

Jonathan Head
Reporting from Beirut

Image source, Reuters

The United Nations says its peacekeepers in southern Lebanon will stay in their positions, despite repeated demands by Israel that they should move out of the way of its forces there.

The head of UN peacekeeping operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix told journalists in New York that the decision to keep the Unifil force in place had the full backing of both the UN Security Council and the member states contributing troops to the force.

On Sunday Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu bluntly warned the UN to move from its bases in southern Lebanon, which he said were providing a human shield to Hezbollah fighters.

But the UN is standing firm.

Its head of peacekeeping said it was essential that the blue helmets stay in place, to carry out the mandate they were given by the UN Security Council and to assist the civilian population.

Israel argues that the UN has failed to stop Hezbollah from building tunnels and positioning weapons like rockets and missiles near the border, in violation of the agreement which ended the last war there 18 years ago.

The UN says its mission is to support the parties to the conflict, not to enforce the agreement.

It has accused Israel of deliberately targeting its bases, with five peacekeepers injured in the past week, an accusation rejected by Netanyahu.

In another statement last night he said Israel would do its utmost to prevent such incidents, but that UN peacekeepers needed to get out of harm’s way.

Yolande Knell
Middle East correspondent, in Jerusalem

Image source, Reuters

In the two weeks since Iran fired some 180 ballistic missiles at Israel, the region has been bracing itself for Israel’s threatened response - fearing it could prompt a dangerous, full-scale war between the two countries.

A Washington Post article, external - quoting two officials said to be familiar with the matter - reported that the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, had told the Biden administration he was willing to opt for a more limited counterstrike, targeting military infrastructure in Iran.

The Washington Post also suggested that Israeli retaliatory action would be calibrated to avoid the perception of political interference in the US elections in three weeks’ time.

In a brief statement overnight, the Israeli PM's office responded: “We listen to the opinions of the United States, but we will make our final decisions based on our national interest.”

Image source, Getty Images

The UN has condemned the "large number of civilian casualties" caused by Israeli strikes on northern Gaza in recent days.

The comments come as at least 10 people have reportedly been killed by Israeli artillery fire at a food distribution centre at Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza, where Israeli tanks and troops are continuing a ground offensive.

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees said shells hit the centre on Monday as some people were trying to access food handouts.

The Israeli military said it was reviewing the incident, adding that it operates "only against terror targets".

"The secretary general condemns the large number of civilian casualties in the intensifying Israeli campaign in northern Gaza, including its schools, displacing sheltered Palestinian civilians," a spokesman for the UN Secretary General said.

Welcome back to our live coverage of the Israel-Lebanon conflict and Israel's continued bombardment of the Gaza Strip.

Here's what you need to know this morning:

• An Israeli air strike in northern Lebanon yesterday killed at least 21 people and injured eight others, local officials said. The strike hit a residential building in the predominantly Christian village in Aitou - far away from where the Israel Defense Forces has been targeted the Shia Islamist group Hezbollah
• The UN has decried the "large number of civilian casualties" in Gaza following recent Israeli strikes. The UN's Palestinian refugee agency, Unrwa, says 10 people were reportedly killed at a food distribution centre at the Jabalia refugee camp in the enclave's north
• Israeli military said it found an 800m-long underground compound built by Hezbollah in south Lebanon, containing missiles, motorbikes and food supplies
• The US will send a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) battery to Israel in order to bolster the country's air defence, following a missile barrage launched by Iran earlier this month

Stay with us today as we bring you news and analysis from our journalists in London and on the ground.