Israel's onslaught against Hezbollah in Lebanon is reassuring for Turkey, which could seize the opportunity to strengthen its regional influence in the face of its rival Iran, analysts told AFP.

Despite being one of Israel's fiercest critics, Turkey has been measured in its response to the blows struck against the Shiite militant group, armed and financed by Tehran, including the killing of its leader Hassan Nasrallah.

At least 45 people died and "many" others were missing after two migrant boats sank off the coast of Djibouti, the UN's migration agency said Tuesday.

The disaster in the Red Sea off the east African nation was the latest to hit the perilous so-called Eastern Route for migrants from Africa.

The boats had departed from Yemen carrying 310 people, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said.

"So far 32 survivors... have been rescued," IOM said on X, adding that it was helping with the search and rescue efforts.

Israel's Iron Dome air defence system has intercepted thousands of rockets since it went into operation in 2011, providing the country with crucial cover during times of conflict.

It has been heavily relied upon to protect military and civilian sites from frequent barrages of rockets fired from Gaza and Lebanon in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.

Israel's air defences were in operation on Tuesday night, when Iran fired missiles at Israel in what it said was a response to Israel's killing of Tehran-backed militant leaders.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday that the United States was "fully supportive" of Israel after Iran's ballistic missile attacks, describing Tehran's assault as "defeated and ineffective."

Biden said he would now discuss with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about how to respond to Iran, but that it remained to be seen what shape that response would take.

"The attack appears to have been defeated and ineffective, and this is a testament to Israeli military capability and the US military," Biden told reporters at the White House.

Depending on where you were in Jerusalem on Tuesday night, Iran's missile attack on Israel provoked either fervent prayers or cries of joy.

Jewish prayers in an underground car park in west Jerusalem; expressions of joy in Palestinian districts in the Israeli-annexed east of the city.

When the air raid sirens wailed, hundreds of people in the central bus station in the west heeded the military's calls and headed underground to take shelter.

Some of those who gathered in the car park read from religious texts as others stayed glued to their phones.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards threatened Tuesday to carry out "crushing attacks" against Israel if it retaliated for an Iranian missile attack.

"If the Zionist regime reacts to Iranian operations, it will face crushing attacks," the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said in a statement carried by the Fars news agency.

The IRGC said the attack was "in accordance with the United Nations Charter".

Iran is preparing an imminent ballistic missile attack against Israel, the United States said Tuesday, warning that any such assault would have "severe" consequences for Tehran.

The warning came as Israel said it had launched a ground offensive in Lebanon to target the Iran-backed militia Hezbollah, whose top leader Hassan Nasrallah was killed in an Israeli air strike last week.

"The United States has indications that Iran is preparing to imminently launch a ballistic missile attack against Israel," a senior White House official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Israel launched a ground offensive in Lebanon on Tuesday, escalating a conflict against Hezbollah after a week of air strikes that have killed hundreds.

Several countries have begun evacuating their nationals from Lebanon or are planning to do so.

- Britain -

Britain has chartered a commercial flight for its nationals that will depart from Beirut's Rafic Hariri International Airport on Wednesday.

The UK government has said further flights may be arranged, depending on demand.

It said it would prioritise "vulnerable British nationals" for Wednesday's flight.

Israel announced Tuesday it had launched raids targeting Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, days after killing its leader Hassan Nasrallah in an air strike on a bunker in south Beirut.

Here is a rundown of what is known about Israel's ground operations so far.

- When did the raids begin?

Late Monday, Israel's military began what it called "limited, localised and targeted raids" against Hezbollah in south Lebanon's border areas.

Its ground forces are backed by fighter jets and artillery fire.

Top European airlines Lufthansa, KLM and Swiss on Tuesday announced that they were extending their suspension of flights to the Middle East, as tensions spiral throughout the region.

The moves come as Israel launched strikes on Beirut and a senior White House official warned that Iran was preparing to launch a ballistic missile attack "imminently" against Israel.

KLM has pushed out until the end of the year the suspension of its once-daily flight to Tel Aviv "given the situation in the region", spokeswoman Elvira van der Vis told AFP.