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Israeli soldiers guard a check point near the border with Lebanon,in Israel on Saturday.Credit:AP

Israel is preparing to launch a ground assault against Iran-backed Hamas in the Gaza Strip,after telling Palestinians living in the densely populated territory to flee south towards a closed border with Egypt.

Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas in retaliation for the attack by the Palestinian Islamist group a week ago. Hamas stormed Israeli towns,killing 1300 people and seizing scores of hostages – the worst attack on civilians in Israel’s history.

Red Cross volunteers carry one the two bodies of an elderly couple who died when their house was hit by Israeli shelling in the southern town of Chebaa,Lebanon,on Saturday.Credit:AP

Israeli jets and artillery have already subjected Gaza to the most intense bombardment it has ever seen,putting the enclave,home to 2.3 million Palestinians,under total siege. Gaza authorities say more than 2200 people have been killed.

The United States has been working to keep Iran out of the conflict and broader international diplomacy has been focused on preventing it from spilling over – particularly into Lebanon – and sparking a regional war.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed,heavily armed Hezbollah group has clashed with Israel across the Lebanese border multiple times in the past week in the deadliest confrontations since they fought a month-long war in 2006.

On Saturday the Lebanese army blamed Israel for a missile that killed a Reuters journalist in southern Lebanon,with a Lebanese military source saying the country had conducted a technical on-the-ground assessment and concluded the shell was fired by Israel based. The source was not authorised to speak to media and spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.

“The Israeli enemy launched a missile which hit a civilian car belonging to a media group which led to the martyrdom of the videographer Issam Abdallah,” the Lebanese army high command said in a statement posted on its website.

Reuters,in a statement,said:“We call on the IDF{Israel Defence Forces] to conduct a thorough,swift and transparent investigation. It is critically important for journalists to be able to report freely and safely.”

UN Middle East peace envoy Tor Wennesland met with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Beirut on Saturday,the United Nations said. Abdollahian then met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Qatar,Al Jazeera TV reported.

When asked about theAxios report,UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said:“All of[Wennesland’s] meetings have been to discuss diplomatic efforts to release hostages,secure humanitarian access and prevent a spillover of the conflict to the wider region. This includes his recent meetings in Lebanon.”

Israel’s mission to the UN declined to comment on theAxios report or the social media post by Iran.

AP,Reuters