As Iran retaliates, largest US military base in Middle East hit by ballistic missile, Qatar says

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a post to X on Tuesday that he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had "authorized" the Israel Defense Forces "to advance and seize additional controlling areas in Lebanon to prevent firing on Israeli border settlements."

Israeli forces have been occupying five positions within southern Lebanon since 2024, when the IDF entered the country as part of the last major round of fighting with Hezbollah.

Israeli forces did not withdraw from the five positions despite agreeing to do so as part of a November 2024 ceasefire deal. Israel has also continued launching airstrikes against Hezbollah targets all over Lebanon. The strikes intensified after Hezbollah began launching projectiles toward Israel on Sunday.

The IDF said in a post to X on Tuesday that Israeli soldiers "are operating in southern Lebanon and are positioned at several points near the border area as part of an enhanced forward defense posture."

Hezbollah took responsibility for multiple drone and rocket attacks into Israel on Tuesday morning.

The Israel Defense Forces said Tuesday that the Israeli Navy killed a senior Hezbollah operative in strikes on the Lebanese capital Beirut on Monday.

The IDF alleged that Rida Hazaa'i served as the "head of the buildup division for Hezbollah" on behalf of Iran's Quds Force -- a unit within the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps tasked with supporting Iran-aligned armed groups abroad.

The IDF said Hazaa'i also served as chief of staff of the Quds Force's Lebanon Corps.

U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee advised Americans in Israel that there are “VERY LIMITED” options for leaving the country.

"As of now, the best is utilizing Israel's Ministry of Tourism shuttle bus to Taba, Egypt and getting flights from there or going on to Cairo for flights back to the US,” he said in a post on X.

Huckabee advised against exiting via Jordan, which has been the State Department’s primary ground option during past conflicts.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston

The U.S. embassies in Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait have ordered non-emergency personnel and family members to leave those countries citing "the onset of hostilities" between the U.S. and Iran.

Previously, Bahrain was on an authorized departure for this nonessential staff and their relatives. This is the first order of this kind handed down in Jordan during the conflict.

The State Department cited the "ongoing threat of drone and missile attacks from Iran and significant disruptions to commercial flights" in its departure orders.

-ABC News' Shannon Kingston