Israel-Gaza-Lebanon updates: Iran launches missiles at Israel, IDF says

The Israel Defense Forces' operation in southern Lebanon is occurring "right by the border" with no intention of pushing towards the capital Beirut, an Israeli security official said during a Tuesday briefing.

The IDF has three goals, the official said.

The first is to remove the threat of cross-border fire at Israeli citizens, they said. The second is to target senior militant leaders planning such attacks, the official added.

The third goal is to create a situation in which tens of thousands of displaced Israelis can return to their homes in the north of the country.

"We're talking about limited, localized, targeted rates based on precise intelligence in areas near the border," the official said when asked about the scope of the operation.

Beirut, they added, is not on the table. Airstrikes are supporting the ground incursion in the south and continuing elsewhere, the official said.

"We're talking about Hezbollah embedding itself in the Lebanese villages, right by the border," they said.

"We're operating at the moment according to the mission we received from the political echelon. We're acting in a limited area that is focusing on the villages right by the border," they explained.

-ABC News' Ian Pannell and Dana Savir

Israel Defense Forces spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said Israeli troops were engaged in "limited and targeted raids" in southern Lebanon as of Tuesday morning, alleging that Hezbollah was planning "an Oct. 7-style invasion" into Israeli homes.

"Hezbollah turned Lebanese villages next to Israeli villages into military bases," ​​Hagari said. "Hezbollah planned to invade Israel, attack Israeli communities and massacre innocent men, women and children."

"I want to make it clear: our war is with Hezbollah, not with the people of Lebanon," Hagari continued. "We do not want to harm Lebanese civilians, and we're taking measures to prevent that."

More than 700 people were killed by an intensified Israeli airstrike campaign across Lebanon last week. Lebanon's Health Ministry reported 95 people killed and 172 people by strikes on Monday. Israeli bombing continued overnight into Tuesday morning, including in the capital Beirut.

-ABC News' Joe Simonetti, Somayeh Malekian and Ellie Kaufman

The British government announced Monday that it chartered a commercial flight out of Lebanon for citizens wishing to leave the country.

British nationals, their spouse or partner and children under the age of 18 are eligible, a Foreign Office press release said. "Vulnerable" citizens will be prioritized, it added.

The flight is scheduled to depart Beirut-Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said the situation in the country "is volatile and has potential to deteriorate quickly."

"The safety of British nationals in Lebanon continues to be our utmost priority," he added.

"That's why the U.K. government is chartering a flight to help those wanting to leave. It is vital that you leave now as further evacuation may not be guaranteed."

-ABC News' David Brennan

Lt. Col. Avichay Adraee -- the Israel Defense Forces' spokesperson for Arab media -- warned residents of southern Lebanon on Tuesday morning that "heavy fighting" is now underway in the region.

"Hezbollah elements," he said, are "using the civilian environment and the population as human shields to launch attacks."

Adraee told residents not to move vehicles from the north to the south of the Litani River, which is around 18 miles north of the Israeli border. Israel previously demanded that all Hezbollah forces withdraw north of the waterway in accordance with the United Nations Security Council resolution that sought to end the 2006 border war.

"This warning is in effect until further notice," Adraee said.

The IDF said Monday that its ground offensive into Lebanon was underway, following a week of punishing airstrikes and targeted killings across the country.

The IDF described the operations as "limited, localized, and targeted ground raids based on precise intelligence against Hezbollah terrorist targets and infrastructure in southern Lebanon."

A senior U.S. official told ABC News that the incursion is expected to be significant but not "major." Lebanese leaders, meanwhile, are calling for an immediate ceasefire and the implementation of the 2006 U.N. resolution that would see Hezbollah forces leave southern Lebanon.

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and Ghazi Balkiz