(LONDON) -- Israeli forces continued their intense operations inside Gaza after Hamas leader and Oct. 7, 2023 attack mastermind Yahya Sinwar was killed in a firefight with Israeli forces.
The development comes as Israel continues intense air and ground campaigns against Hezbollah in Lebanon and against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and mulls its response to Iran's latest ballistic missile attack. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Tuesday in a bid to kickstart stalled cease-fire talks and prevent further regional escalation.
IDF strike near hospital in Lebanon kills 13 and injures at least 57
An Israel Defense Forces strike near Rafik Hariri Hospital in southern Beirut on Monday killed 13 people including a child and injured at least 57 others, according to the Lebanese Ministry of Public Health.
Seventeen of those injured required hospitalization, with seven in a critical condition, the ministry said in a Tuesday statement.
The hospital, which is the largest public medical facility in Lebanon, sustained significant damage, officials said.
There was no warning issued before the strike on the hospital, sources told ABC News.
The IDF denied attacking the hospital in a statement, claiming it was targeting a Hezbollah target close to the facility. "The strike did not hit the hospital and the IDF emphasizes that the hospital was not targeted, and the hospital itself and its operation were not affected, the IDF said.
-ABC News' Josiane Hajj Moussa, Jordana Miller and Guy Davies
Israel designates Al-Qard al-Hassan as a terrorist organization
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced Tuesday that he designated the Al-Qard al-Hassan finance institution -- which Israel alleges is a key financial vehicle for Hezbollah -- a terrorist organization.
"Hezbollah's bank is used to purchase weapons, pay the salaries of terrorists and keep Hezbollah's terror machine going," Gallant wrote in a post on X.
"Degrading Hezbollah's capabilities requires both a military and economic campaign," he added. "We are destroying the terrorist organization's ability to both launch and buy missiles."
Israel has been targeting Al-Qard al-Hassan infrastructure throughout Lebanon in recent days. The strikes have been especially fierce in Beirut, and particularly in its southern Dahiya suburb which is known as a Hezbollah stronghold.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
Blinken lands in Israel
Secretary of State Antony Blinken landed at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv on Tuesday to begin a tour of Middle East nations in bid to reinvigorate cease-fire talks in both Gaza and Lebanon.
Blinken is expected to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday.
The revival of stalled cease-fire talks and the prevention of further regional escalation are at the top of the agenda for America's top diplomat.
Blinken's latest regional tour comes just two weeks to go until the U.S. presidential election and with Israel still mulling its retaliation against Iran for the latter's Oct. 1 ballistic missile attack.
-ABC News' Shannon Kingston and Guy Davies
IDF claims 230 more strikes in Lebanon and Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces said in a social media post Tuesday that it struck around 230 Hezbollah and Hamas targets in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip over the previous 24 hours.
The strikes killed "dozens" of fighters, the IDF claimed, and hit targets including three purported command centers of a Hezbollah drone unit in southern Lebanon.
In Gaza, fighting continues in the Jabalia area in the north of the strip, which is under intense Israeli bombardment and sweeping evacuation orders.
The IDF said "thousands of civilians have been evacuated" from the area, while "dozens of terrorists were arrested from among the civilians."
Another 10 fighters were killed in a strike in the area, the IDF added. Troops also dismantled several tunnel shafts and a rocket launcher in Beit Lahia, to the north of Jabalia.
Elsewhere, the IDF reported an airstrike on a rocket launcher and ammunition in the southern Rafah area.
IDF claims Nasrallah's bunker located underneath Beirut hospital
The Israel Defense Forces claimed late Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's gold-filled bunker is located underneath a Beirut hospital, which hospital officials said was being evacuated Monday out of an abundance of caution.
"There are millions of dollars in gold and cash in Hassan Nasrallah's bunker. Where is the bunker located? Directly under Al-Sahel Hospital -- in the heart of Beirut," IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said in a video address Monday.
The IDF released 3D renderings of the hospital building and the bunker it said belonged to Nasrallah, who was killed in Israeli airstrikes in Beirut last month, but has not provided tangible proof. Hagari said the Israeli air force is monitoring the site but added, "We will not strike the hospital itself."
"We are not at war with the people of Lebanon. We are at war with Hezbollah," he said.
Following Hagari's remarks, Lebanese hospital officials said the hospital is being evacuated out of an abundance of caution for the safety of the patients. Lebanese Parliament member Fadi Alameh, the owner of the hospital, said he has requested that the Lebanese army and United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon investigate the Israeli allegations.
Lebanese official Wiam Wahhab said the "talk of weapons depots" at the hospital "is illogical and false."
"This points to the beginning of targeting hospitals, and the army must deploy around the hospital and protect it," he said.
Dr. Youssef Bakhash, the president of the Lebanese Order of Physicians, told the Lebanese media group Al Jadeed that the "pretext of the existence of tunnels and funds beneath Sahel Hospital is aimed at targeting and disrupting the healthcare sector."
Israel's conflict with Iran to last 'many months': Former IDF general
Israel’s planned attack on Iran will mark the "beginning of a war" that will last "many months," retired Israel Defense Forces Brig. Gen. Amir Avivi told ABC News.
Israel's war with Hezbollah had gone incredibly well and the IDF had surpassed its own expectations in degrading the Iranian proxy, Avivi said, adding that the same mentality would be applied to dealing with the Iranian regime itself.
"We have a historical opportunity to deal with Iran so they don’t pose another threat to Israel," said Avivi, the founder of the right-wing think tank Israel's Defense and Security Forum.
Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran will be "fierce and strong and very surprising" when it happens, he said.
-ABC News' Tom Soufi Burridge and Jordana Miller
300 Hezbollah targets hit in Lebanon in past 24 hours: IDF
The Israel Defense Forces said it hit 300 Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon in the past 24 hours, which saw an intense night of airstrikes on Beirut.
Seven brigade commanders, 21 battalion commanders and 24 company commanders for Hezbollah were killed in its ongoing operations, the IDF said.
More strikes against Hezbollah targets are expected all over southern Lebanon Monday night, IDF spokesperson Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari said.
Still unclear whether intelligence docs were leaked or hacked: White House
There's no indication yet whether classified documents on Israel's retaliation plans were leaked or hacked, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby told reporters Monday.
"I'm just not able to answer your question whether it was a leak or a hack at this point. We'll let the investigation pursue its logical course there," Kirby said.
Kirby said that President Joe Biden was "deeply concerned" about the incident, and that while they don't expect more documents to be revealed, they are on high alert amid the investigation.
"We're certainly going to keep our antenna up and our eyes open for any potential future disclosures," he said.
-ABC News' Cheyenne Haslett
7 Israeli citizens arrested after allegedly spying for Iran
Seven Israeli citizens were arrested after allegedly spying for Iran, Israeli authorities said Monday.
The Israel Security Agency and Israel Police said they "successfully dismantled a spy network" that allegedly gathered sensitive information on Israel Defense Forces bases and energy infrastructure.
The citizens were allegedly recruited by Iranian agents to conduct "security-related tasks" over at least two years, authorities said, including "extensive reconnaissance missions" on air force and navy installations, ports, Iron Dome system locations and energy infrastructure.
Photographs and videos of "numerous" IDF bases, ports and energy infrastructure were seized as part of the investigation, authorities said.
"It is assessed that these activities have inflicted security damage on the state," the ISA and Israel Police said.
The seven Israelis were allegedly paid hundreds of thousands of dollars, often through cryptocurrencies, for their work, authorities said.
Prosecutors are expected to file an indictment against them in the coming days.
Austin: 'Hard to say' what Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran will look like
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin told reporters while traveling to Ukraine on Monday that it's "hard to say" what an Israeli retaliatory strike on Iran will look like, when asked whether the response should be proportional.
"That's an Israeli decision," he said. "Whether or not the Israelis believe [it] is proportional and [how] the Iranians perceive it, I mean, those are maybe two different things."
Austin told reporters that the U.S. is "going to continue to do everything we can" to get both parties to "begin to de-escalate."
-ABC News' Luis Martinez
Blinken to visit Israel in Middle East tour
Secretary of State Antony Blinken will begin a tour of Israel and other Middle Eastern nations on Monday in a bid to inject new life into stalled cease-fire and hostage release negotiations in Gaza, the State Department said.
Blinken "will discuss the importance of bringing the war in Gaza to an end, securing the release of all hostages and alleviating the suffering of the Palestinian people," the State Department notice said.
"He will continue discussions on post-conflict period planning and emphasize the need to chart a new path forward that enables Palestinians to rebuild their lives and realize their aspirations free from Hamas' tyranny," the statement said.
Blinken will also "underscore that additional food, medicine and other humanitarian aid must be delivered to civilians in Gaza," it continued.
The situation in Lebanon -- where Israel is continuing an intense air and ground campaign and Hezbollah is still firing across the shared border -- will also be a topic of discussion, the State Department said.
Blinken will continue pursuit of a "diplomatic resolution" that "allows civilians on both sides" of the border to return to their homes, the statement said.
-ABC News' Cindy Smith
'Beirut in flames' after night of airstrikes, foreign minister says
"Beirut in flames," Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X on Monday following an intense night of airstrikes on the Lebanese capital.
"A wide-scale Israeli attack targeted Hezbollah's financial infrastructure in Beirut and across Lebanon last night," Katz said.
"Massive fires were seen above Beirut as over 15 buildings were struck following evacuation warnings to residents," the foreign minister wrote.
"Hezbollah has paid and will continue to pay a heavy price for its attacks on northern Israel and its rocket fire. We will keep striking the Iranian proxy until it collapses."
-ABC News' Guy Davies
IDF claims 'dozens' of strikes on Hezbollah financial targets
Israel Defense Forces warplanes launched "a series of targeted, intelligence-based strikes against dozens of facilities and sites used by the Hezbollah terrorist organization to finance its terrorist activities," the IDF said in a Monday post to X.
The Sunday night strikes hit targets in Beirut, southern Lebanon and elsewhere "deep within" the country, the IDF added.
The IDF said the targets were linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, which Israel has accused of acting as a key financier of Hezbollah activities.
-ABC News' Jordana Miller
US investigating intelligence leak on Israel's alleged plan to attack Iran
Documents purporting to show classified U.S. intelligence-gathering on Israel's preparations for a possible retaliatory strike against Iran appeared on social media platforms late last week.
The impact of the circulation of these documents on current and future planning by the Israeli military is unclear at this time.
U.S. officials declined to comment on the situation when reached by ABC News. However, a law enforcement source on Sunday confirmed with ABC News that there is an investigation underway.
Markings on the documents indicate that they would have originated from the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, which collects, analyzes and distributes intelligence gleaned from satellite and aerial imagery.
If the documents are authentic, it would indicate a major intelligence breach.
According to Mick Mulroy, an ABC News national security and defense contributor, who served as the deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East: "The future coordination between the U.S. and Israel could be challenged, as well."
The Department of Defense, Federal Bureau of Investigation and a spokesperson for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence all declined to comment when contacted by ABC News.
House Speaker Mike Johnson appeared on CNN Sunday and acknowledged that there is an investigation underway into the possible intelligence leak, adding, "We're following it closely."
-ABC News' T. Michelle Murphy
IDF says it's targeting infrastructure in Lebanon of group allegedly financing Hezbollah
The Israel Defense Forces announced it was targeting infrastructure Sunday night in Lebanon that has been linked to the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association, an organization it alleges is involved in financing Hezbollah.
The United States placed sanctions on the Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association in May 2021 related to financing Hezbollah activities.
The Al-Qard Al-Hassan group has 31 branches in Lebanon -- including in Beirut and Bekaa, officials said. At least one strike was reported Sunday evening in the Chyah neighborhood of Beirut.
"The 'Al-Qard Al-Hassan Association' is involved in financing the terrorist activities of the Hezbollah organization against Israel, and therefore the IDF has decided to attack this terrorist infrastructure," the IDF said in a statement Sunday. "The IDF continues to work forcefully to destroy Hezbollah's terrorist infrastructure. Therefore, we call on people inside buildings used by Hezbollah to stay at least 500 meters away from them for the next few hours."
-ABC News' Victoria Beaule