In the pre-dawn hours of Monday morning, Hezbollah opened a new front in the US-Israeli war against Iran when it launched “missiles and a swarm of drones” at a military base in northern Israel.

Israel has sent troops into southern Lebanon and told residents of more than 80 villages to evacuate as the Iran-backed militant Hezbollah group said it was ready for an “open war” with Israel in the wake of the U.

Entire communities along the northern border were emptied amid fear that Hezbollah might try to penetrate the north as Hamas did in the south.

By Maya Gebeily, Maayan Lubell and Jana Choukeir BEIRUT/JERUSALEM, March 3 (Reuters) - Lebanon was pulled deeper into the war in the Middle East on Tuesday as the Iran-backed Lebanese group Hezbollah launched missiles at Israel for a second consecutive day and Israel sent troops into the south and carried out waves of airstrikes.

Lebanon's health ministry says 31 people were killed by Israeli strikes, while there are no reports of casualties in Israel.

The three-day U.S.-Israeli war with Iran and its allies brought a new wave of displacement to war-weary Lebanon, after Israel retaliated for Hezbollah rocket attacks.

Israeli strike hits Hezbollah-aligned media building in Beirut’s southern suburbs following an evacuation warning.

Iran and Iranian-backed militias fired missiles at Israel and Arab states, apparently hitting the U.S. Embassy compound in Kuwait, while Israel and the United States pounded targets in Iran on Monday.

The Iran-backed Lebanese militia attacks its powerful opponent with rockets and drones, widening the front in the regional conflict.

Residents fled in panic as Israeli jets struck Hezbollah strongholds in response to a midnight barrage, an expansion of the war between Israel, the U.S. and Iran.

Israel had warned Hezbollah not to get involved; however, rockets were fired at Jerusalem overnight between Sunday and Monday. The Lebanese government is angry that Hezbollah is dragging Lebanon into