We're pausing our live coverage for now.

Earlier on Saturday, a rocket from Lebanon struck a football field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights, killing 12 children.

The US and Israel have blamed the attack on Hezbollah, though Hezbollah has strongly denied any involvement.

The region is bracing for a potential response from Israel - which has sworn Hezbollah would “pay the price” for the attack - with fears that a major Israeli reprisal against could trigger a regional war.

Image source, Reuters

Hezbollah is one of the most heavily-armed, non-state military forces in the world. It is funded and equipped by Iran.

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has claimed that it has 100,000 fighters, although independent estimates vary between 20,000 and 50,000.

Many are well trained and battle hardened, and fought in the Syrian civil war.

It has an estimated 130,000 rockets and missiles, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies think tank, external.

Most of its arsenal is made up of small, unguided surface-to-surface artillery rockets.

But it also thought to have anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles, as well as guided missiles capable of striking deep inside Israel. This is much more sophisticated than what Hamas, in the Gaza Strip, has at its disposal.

Read more here.

Israel's Defense Forces (IDF) has said that a drone which entered Israel from Lebanon was shot down this morning.

As we reported earlier, alarms were triggered in parts of northern Israel, following the possibility of falling shrapnel from the interception, the IDF added.

No injuries were reported.

At around 05:13 local time (03:13 BST), rocket alarms sounded in two villages in northern Israel, close to the border with Lebanon.

Alarms sounded in Yaara and Adamit, according to data available on the Red Alert app, which tracks alerts in Israel.

Rocket alarms sound regularly in northern Israel, particularly since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October. These alerts do not necessarily indicate that hostilities have escalated.

Image source, Getty

Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is a Shia cleric who has led Hezbollah since 1992.

He played a key role in turning it into a political, as a well as a military, force.

He has close links with Iran and its Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

These date from 1981, when Iran's first Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, appointed him his personal representative in Lebanon.

Nasrallah has not appeared in public for years, purportedly for fear of being assassinated by Israel.

However, he remains revered by Hezbollah, and delivers televised speeches every week.

Previously sporadic fighting between Israel and Hezbollah escalated on 8 October - a day after the unprecedented Hamas attack on Israel - when Hezbollah fired at Israeli positions, in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Since then, it has launched rockets at northern Israel and Israeli positions on the Golan Heights, fired anti-tank missiles at armoured vehicles, and attacked military targets with explosive drones.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have retaliated, using air strikes, and tank and artillery fire against Hezbollah positions in Lebanon.

Despite the fighting, observers say that up till now both sides have aimed to contain hostilities without crossing the line into full-scale war. But fears are that a particularly deadly incident could cause the situation to spiral out of control.

While tensions rise to Israel's north, south of the country, the war in Gaza continues.

On Sunday, the IDF issued an evacuation order for central areas in the Strip, warning civilians that it would "operate forcefully" there.

Also on Sunday, the Hamas-run civil defence agency said five people had been killed in an Israeli strike that hit tents housing displaced Palestinians in a humanitarian zone in the central city of Khan Younis.

UN refugee agency boss Philippe Lazzarini said on X, external that "only 14%" of areas in Gaza are not under the evacuation orders.

He said that Israeli orders to flee were creating havoc and panic among Palestinians, some of whom had been displaced "on average once a month" since the war began with the Hamas attack on Israel last October.

Israel denies targeting civilians and says its evacuation orders are necessary to get civilians out of areas of active military operations.

Image source, Getty Images

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was in the US at the time of Saturday's deadly rocket strike on the Golan Heights, which killed 12 people.

Netanyahu cut his overseas trip short by a few hours to return to Israel. This evening he met with his security cabinet in Tel Aviv.

Here's what Netanyahu did in the US:

• He addressed a joint session of Congress, where he was met with frequent cheering and standing ovations from US lawmakers
• He thanked the US for its support, and used his speech to urge the Biden administration to speed up military aid
• On Thursday he met with President Joe Biden at the White House, and thanked him for his "50 years of support for the state of Israel"
• Netanyahu visited Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on Friday
• Vice-president and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris had what she described as a "frank and constructive" talk with Netanyahu, telling him it was time for the war to end

Netanyahu's visit to the US was met with criticism by some politicians, families of the Israeli hostages taken on 7 October and by pro-Palestinian protesters.

Some lawmakers also boycotted his speech to Congress, including top Democrat and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.

Image source, EPA

It's nearly 01:00 in Israel. If you're just joining us, here's the latest on the growing tensions in the region:

• Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has just concluded a security cabinet meeting, during which he and defence minister Yoav Gallant were authorised to decide on the response against Lebanese militant group Hezbollah
• Large crowds gathered for the funerals for the victims of yesterday's rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights
• The attack killed twelve children and young adults who were playing football in the town of Majdal Shams
• Netanyahu blames the attack on Hezbollah and says the group "will pay a heavy price," though it denies involvement in the incident

• Iran, which backs Hezbollah, has warned of "unforeseen consequences" if Israel retaliates

• US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says there is "every indication" Hezbollah fired the rocket that hit the Golan Heights. However, Lebanon's foreign minister says he doesn’t think Hezbollah carried out the strike
• The rising tensions have the potential to trigger an all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah, whose forces have regularly exchanged fire since the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war in October

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office says the security cabinet meeting has ended.

"The members of the cabinet authorized the Prime Minister and the Defence Minister to decide on the manner and timing of the response against the Hezbollah terrorist organization," the statement posted on his office's official X account, external, read.

Netanyahu returned to Israel after cutting his trip to the US short by a few hours, following the strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights on Saturday that killed 12 children and young people.

The US has joined Israel in blaming Hezbollah for the strike, but the Lebanese militant group strongly denies any involvement.

World leaders have been reacting to the news of a rocket strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

France's President Emmanuel Macron has been speaking to Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu today about his country's stance on the situation.

He told Netanyahu that France was fully committed to doing "everything to avoid a new escalation in the region by passing messages to all parties involved in the conflict", according to the Reuters news agency.

The AFP news agency has reported that UN Secretary-General António Guterres has called on all parties to "exercise maximum restraint".

"Civilians, and children in particular, should not continue to bear the burden of the horrific violence plaguing the region," he said.

In a post on X, external, Lithuania's President Gitanas Nausėda offered his "deepest condolences" to the people of Israel, describing the strike as a "brutal attack by Hezbollah". He adds that he wishes "strength for this painful loss".

Earlier, we reported the reaction from some US leaders, which you can read here.

Image source, Haim Zah, GPO

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has convened the country's Security Cabinet this evening at Kirya in Tel Aviv.

He shared a photo on X, external of the meeting, which also shows some blurred documents on the table.

Stick with us as we wait to hear what happened at the meeting.

Image source, Getty Images

The Israeli military has called for Palestinians in parts of the Bureij refugee camp to evacuate "immediately for their safety" and go to a humanitarian zone in al-Mawasi, Reuters has reported.

Bureij is one of the smallest of Gaza’s eight historic refugee camps. It covers an area of 0.5 sq km (0.2 sq miles) and had 46,000 residents registered with the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) before the war.

Last month, the IDF said it had taken "operational control" over eastern areas of the camp and the town Deir al-Balah, which is about 5km (3 miles) to the south-west.

On Saturday, the Israeli military struck a school near the town, killing at least 30 Palestinians, according to the Hamas-run ministry of health.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said on Telegram that a Hamas command and control centre was embedded inside the Khadija School.

Image source, Getty Images

Lebanon fears dangerous new phase in Hezbollah-Israel fightingpublished at 19:38 British Summer Time 28 July

19:38 BST 28 July

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in south Lebanon

Since October, the near-daily cross-border attacks between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful Iranian-backed militia and political movement in Lebanon, have killed hundreds of people and forced tens of thousands from their homes on both sides, raising fears that the relatively contained violence could escalate into an all-out conflict.

Amid the strikes and counter-strikes, however, there have been indications that they were trying to avoid a major confrontation. But miscalculation was always a risk, and Saturday’s strike on the Druze town of Majdal Shams, in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, could have been that.

Israel accuses Hezbollah of carrying out the strike on a football pitch that killed at least 12 people, including children, the deadliest attack in the current hostilities, and has promised to respond. Hezbollah denies being behind the attack.

Before the scale of the strike became clear, however, the group said it had targeted the Hermon Brigade with an Iranian-made Falaq missile. The base, on the slopes of Mt Hermon, is about 3km (2 miles) from where the explosion happened, raising the possibility that the missile missed its target.

Any war would have a devastating impact on both countries, but especially for Lebanon, which has been in a state of permanent crisis for more than half a decade. The economy has collapsed, with 80% of the population estimated to be in poverty, and political disputes have blocked the election of a president for almost two years. The government has limited influence – if any – over Hezbollah, which, like Hamas, is considered a terrorist organisation by the UK, the US and others.

But a full-scale war is not inevitable. Diplomats were trying to avert a major escalation in hostilities, and the Lebanese Foreign Minister, Abdallah Bou Habib, told the BBC the authorities were “asking Hezbollah not to retaliate”.

Ibrahim Safadi, a resident of Majdal Shams, said he was related to one of the victims, "two days before the incident, I was playing with him."

Meanwhile, fighting back tears, 26-year-old Ugarit Abu Assad, from nearby Buqata, says she is "afraid for the consequences" and fears an "all out war". "A lot of people are going to die."

The White House has just issued a statement on the rocket strike in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

Here is the full statement from US National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson:

"We have been in continuous discussions with Israeli and Lebanese counterparts since the horrific attack yesterday in northern Israel that killed a number of children playing soccer.

This attack was conducted by Lebanese Hezbollah. It was their rocket, and launched from an area they control. It should be universally condemned.

Hezbollah started firing on Israel on October 8, claiming solidarity with Hamas, another Iranian-backed terrorist group. Our support for Israel’s security is ironclad and unwavering against all Iran-backed threats, including Hezbollah.

The United States is also working on a diplomatic solution along the Blue Line that will end all attacks once and for all, and allow citizens on both sides of the border to safely return to their homes."

The US and Israel have both blamed Hezbollah for the rocket strike. The Lebanese militant group strongly denies any involvement.

What diplomatic moves will the US make?published at 18:12 British Summer Time 28 July

18:12 BST 28 July

Barbara Plett Usher
Former US State Department correspondent

Since October 7, the Americans have invested an enormous amount of diplomatic capital and face-time with the Israelis to prevent the Gaza war from triggering a wider conflict. In particular one with Hezbollah in Lebanon that could draw in Iran, which backs the group, and the United States.

Those conversations with the Israeli government are continuing now, says the Secretary of State Antony Blinken. And although he underlined support for Israel’s right to self-defense in comments today, he spent more time talking about the need to prevent escalation.

At the very least the Americans would want the Israelis to avoid hitting civilian areas or infrastructure in what's expected to be a significant attack on Lebanon, especially to stay clear of strikes on Beirut.

The US is also in touch with the Lebanese government, asking it to pass on a message to Hezbollah to show restraint, according to the Foreign Minister Bou Habib.

Blinken repeated that the best way to prevent conflict spreading in the region was to get a ceasefire in Gaza, something “we’re working so hard on virtually every minute of the day”.

Image source, Reuters

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says Israel has a right to defend its citizens, but "we also don't want to see the conflict escalate".

Speaking at a press conference in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday, Blinken said the US was "deeply saddened" by the loss of life in the Golan Heights.

Blinken said there was "no justification for terrorism" and that "every indication is that indeed rockets were from – or the rocket was from Hezbollah". Hezbollah has denied any involvement.

Blinken said the US did not want to see the conflict "spread".

US Senate majority leader Chuck Schumer echoed Blinken's comments in an interview with BBC's US partner, CBS News on Sunday.

The highest-ranking Jewish official in US government said, "Israel has every right to defend itself against Hezbollah like they do against Hamas".

"But having said that, I don't think anyone wants a wider war. So, I hope there are moves to de-escalate."

Paul Adams
Reporting from the Golan Heights

Walking around the steep streets of this mountain community, the sense of collective shock and mourning is overwhelming.

Small groups of men, women and children, all dressed in black, are moving around silently, from one grieving household to another.

Sometimes you catch sight of people hugging or wiping away each other’s tears.

Wahim, a teacher who knew many of the young victims, was utterly distraught, unsure whether to try and express his feelings or stay silent.

“This is a disaster. How do I even start,” he said, before apologising and dissolving into sobs.

Ivan Ebrahim pulled up a picture of his 10-year-old cousin, Milar Shaar, the youngest victim. A boy who loved football and gaming.

“He is the greatest kid here. Everybody loved him,” Ivan said.

“I don’t know. It’s hard to describe.”

Image source, Reuters

“We haven’t slept since yesterday,” Milar’s uncle, Nassar Ebrahim tells me. “The whole town is in mourning.”

The people of Majdal Shams are used to the sound of rockets overhead, but yesterday’s strike took them all by surprise.

“I don’t think the government needs to respond,” Nassar says. “They need to end the war, so no-one dies on either side.”

The mood up here, away from the occasional angry outbursts down at the football pitch, is extremely subdued.

But this is a part of the world where hospitality runs deep.

A group of young men call us over, offering water thimbles of strong coffee.

They’re determined to stay put, despite the danger.

“We Druze don’t leave our homes,” one tells me, echoing a quiet defiance we encounter elsewhere.

When it comes to what happens next, they’re unanimous: they don’t want a wider war.

“The children here, the children in Lebanon, the children in Gaza. They don’t need more war,” another says.

Hugo Bachega
Middle East correspondent, in Beirut

Amid the expectation of an Israeli attack against Hezbollah in Lebanon, Middle East Airlines, which is based in Beirut, has announced it will delay the return of some flights from Sunday night to Monday morning, without giving a reason.

Six flights have been affected, according to a statement posted online. They are all scheduled to arrive at Beirut’s Rafic Hariri airport, Lebanon’s only operational commercial airport, which so far has not announced any changes to its operations.

The airport was hit by Israel in the 2006 war against Hezbollah and remained closed for a month.

Since the start of the cross-border attacks last October, several carriers have changed services to and from the airport, as countries around the world warn their citizens to avoid travel to Lebanon, with some calling on people to leave the country while there are still options available.