Explosions tore through the ancient city of Tyre tonight, as Israeli warplanes ignored a stark warning from Tehran. Sources on the ground confirm at least four precision strikes levelled a building believed to house Hezbollah operatives. The attack came hours after Iran's ambassador to the UN cautioned that any further escalation would be met with 'severe consequences'.
But the Israelis pressed ahead, their jets screaming low over the Mediterranean before dropping their payloads. British naval assets have been placed on heightened alert in the eastern Med, with a Type 45 destroyer moving closer to the Lebanese coast. Defence sources insist the deployment is 'precautionary', but the timing raises serious questions.
Whitehall is bracing for a wider conflict. A senior Foreign Office official tells me the UK is 'prepared for all contingencies'. The strikes mark a dangerous new phase in a conflict that has already claimed thousands of lives.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah's al-Manar TV is broadcasting images of the rubble, vowing revenge. The smell of cordite hangs over Tyre's harbour. And somewhere in the back alleys, the money men are already counting the cost of the next wave.
