Israeli military chief says ground troops could enter Lebanon after airstrikes

Israelis preparing for a possible ground operation inLebanon, its army chief said Wednesday as Hezbollah hurled dozens of projectiles into Israel, including a missile aimed at Tel Aviv that wasthe militant group'sdeepest strike yet.

Addressing troops on the northern border, Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi said the latest airstrikes were designed to "prepare the ground for your possible entry and to continue degrading Hezbollah."

Israel says it targeted Hezbollah weapons and rocket launchers in attacks that have killed more than 600 people, at least a quarter of them women and children, according to Lebanese health officials.

In an apparent reference to the missile fired at Tel Aviv, Halevi told troops, "Today, Hezbollah expanded its range of fire, and later today, they will receive a very strong response. Prepare yourselves."

It was not clear whether Halevi was referring to a ground operation, airstrikes or some other form of retaliation, which is Lebanon's strongest political force and, with backing from Iran, is widely considered the top paramilitary group in the Arab world.

Lebanon's health minister said more than 50 people were killed Wednesday in the continuing Israeli strikes, raising the death toll from the past three days to 615, with more than 2,000 wounded.

This week has been the deadliest inLebanonsince the bruising 2006 month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah.

Two Canadians are among the dead: Hussein Tabaja, 69, and Daad Tabaja, 74. Their son confirmed their deaths to CBC News in an interviewWednesday.

Ottawa has said it is aware of theCanadians' deaths, but offered few other details.

WATCH | Trudeau says Canadians' deaths are 'devastating':

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he is devastated by the deaths of two Canadians in Lebanon, amid hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah. Trudeau says Israel and Hezbollah need to de-escalate.

All-out war would be disastrous for both sides, U.S. says

The Israeli military has said in recent days it had no immediate plans for a ground invasion, but Halevi's comments were the strongest yet suggesting troops could move in.The Israeli military said Wednesday it would activate two reserve brigades for missions in the north another sign that Israel plans tougher action.

Tensions between Israel and the Lebanese militant group have steadily escalated over the last 11 months. Hezbollah has been firing rockets, missiles and drones into northern Israel in solidarity with Palestinians in Gaza and Hamas, another Iran-backed militant group. Israel has responded withincreasingly heavy airstrikesand the targeted killing of Hezbollah commanders while threatening a wider operation.

Nearly a year of fighting had already displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides of the border before the recent escalation.

Israel has vowed to do whatever it takes to ensure its citizens can return to their homes in the north, while Hezbollah has said it will keep up its rocket attacks until there is a ceasefire in Gaza, the chances of which appearincreasingly remote.

To allow displaced Israelis to got back to their homes, "we are preparing the process of a manoeuvre," Halevi said.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel and Hezbollah to step back, saying all-out war would be disastrous for the region and its people.

In New York for the annual UN General Assembly, Blinken said the U.S. was working with other partners on a temporary ceasefire plan to reduce tensions and allow Israelis and Lebanese to return to their homes in border areas.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Nol Barrot said his country and the United States were working on a proposal for a 21-day ceasefire "to allow for negotiations."

Lebanon's Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the Security Council,"France stood by our side in the darkest circumstances, the best proof being the efforts France is making today in collaboration with the United States in order to issue a joint communique that enjoys international support and which would put an end to this dirty war."

He called on the Security Council to act immediately "to guarantee the withdrawal of Israel from all the occupied Lebanese territories and the violations that are repeated on a daily basis."

Hezbollah said it fired a Qader 1 ballistic missile targeting the headquarters of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency, which it blames for a recent string of targeted killings of its top commanders and for an attack last week in which explosiveshidden in pagers and walkie-talkieskilled dozens of people and wounded thousands, including many Hezbollah members.

WATCH | Foreign minister offers condolences:

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Foreign Affairs Minister Mlanie Joly said she and many other Canadians are concerned about the violence in Lebanon and the region. Joly repeated calls for Canadians to return home and added that commercial flights are still available for Canadians in Lebanon.

Israeli military officials said they intercepted a surface-to-surface missile that set off air-raid sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel. There were no reports of casualties or damage. The military said it struck the launch site in southernLebanon.

Israeli military spokesperson Lt. Col. Nadav Shoshani said the missile fired Wednesday had a "heavy warhead," but declined to elaborate or confirm it was the type described by Hezbollah. He dismissed Hezbollah's claim of targeting the Mossad headquarters, located just north of Tel Aviv, as "psychological warfare."

The Israeli military said it was the first time a projectile fired fromLebanonhad reached central Israel. Hezbollah claimed to have targeted an intelligence base near Tel Aviv last month in an aerial attack, but there was no confirmation. Hamas repeatedly targeted Tel Aviv in the opening months of the war in Gaza.

The launch ratcheted up hostilities in a region that appeared to be teetering toward another all-out war, even as Israelcontinues to battle Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

The Iranian-made Qader is a medium-range surface-to-surface ballistic missile with multiple types and payloads. It can carry an explosive payload of up to 800 kilograms, according to the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Iranian officials have described the liquid-fuelled missile as having a range of 2,000 kilometres.

Israel said Wednesday that its air force had struck some 280 Hezbollah targets acrossLebanonby early afternoon, including launchers used to fire rockets on the northern Israeli cities of Safed and Nahariya.

More than 90,000 displaced in Lebanon: agency

Fleeing familieshave flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools turned into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at theborder with Syria.

The United Nations said more than 90,000 people have been displaced by five days of Israeli strikes. In all, 200,000 people have been displaced inLebanonsince Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel nearly a year ago, drawing Israeli retaliation, according to the UN. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Hezbollah's latest strikes included dozens of rockets fired Wednesday into northern Israel, the military said.

The rocket fire over the past week has disrupted life for more than 1 million people across northern Israel, with schools closed and public gatherings restricted. Many restaurants and other businesses are shut in the coastal city of Haifa, and there are fewer people on the streets. Some who fled south from communities near the border are coming under rocket fire again.

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Israel has shifted its focus to its northern border, striking Hezbollah targets in southern Lebanon. Andrew Chang breaks down the Iran-backed group's power by examining its military capabilities and its political influence, as both sides inch closer towards a full-blown conflict. Images supplied by Getty Images and The Canadian Press.

Israel has moved thousands of troops who had been serving in Gaza to the northern border. It says Hezbollah has some 150,000 rockets and missiles, including some capable of striking anywhere in Israel.

Cross-border fire began ramping up Sunday after the pager and walkie-talkie bombings, which killed 39 people and wounded nearly 3,000, many of them civilians.Lebanonblamed Israel, which hasnot confirmed or denied responsibility.

The next day, Israel said its warplanes struck 1,600 Hezbollah targets, destroying cruise missiles, long- and short-range rockets and attack drones, including weapons concealed in private homes. The strikes racked up thehighest one-day death tollinLebanonsince Israel and Hezbollah fought a bruising month-long war in 2006.

Canada and the U.S. have also encouraged their citizens to leave Lebanon while commercial methods of travel were still available.

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More than 500 people have been killed by Israeli airstrikes in Lebanon. Matt Galloway talks to people on both sides of the Israel-Lebanon border about growing fears of all-out war.

Foreign Minister Mlanie Joly last week estimated there were some 45,000 Canadian citizens still in Lebanon, about half of them officially registered with the Canadian government.

"Canada is not currently offering assisted departures or evacuations for Canadians in Lebanon and there is never a guarantee the Canadian government will evacuate Canadians in a crisis situation," Global Affairs Canada said in a statement.

"Canadians should not rely on the Government of Canada for assisted departure or evacuation."