The Israeli army on Tuesday asked the population to evacuate nearly two dozen towns bordering Lebanon, hours after announcing what it called “limited ground operations” against Hezbollah.
The militant group denied that Israeli troops had crossed into Lebanon, but hours later the Israeli army announced that it had also carried out dozens of ground raids in southern Lebanon for almost a year. Israel released video footage showing its soldiers operating in houses and tunnels where Hezbollah keeps weapons.
The report was not immediately confirmed, but if true, it would be another blow to Iran-backed Hezbollah, the most powerful armed group. of the Middle East. Hezbollah has been shaken by weeks of targeted strikes that killed its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, and several of its top commanders.
Israel advised the population to evacuate north of the Awali River, about 60 kilometers from the border and much further than the Litani River, which marks the northern limit of a UN-declared area) which was to serve as a buffer between Israel and Hezbollah after their 2006 war.
“ You must immediately head north of the Awali River to save yourself, and leave your homes immediately “, says the statement published by the Israeli army on the X platform. The warning applies to communities located south of the Litani.
The border region has largely emptied over the past year as the two sides have exchanged fire. But the scale of the evacuation notice has raised questions about the extent of forces Israel plans to send to Lebanon as part of its rapidly escalating campaign against Hezbollah.
Anticipating further rocket attacks by Hezbollah, the Israeli military announced new restrictions on public gatherings and closed beaches in northern and central Israel.
An Associated Press reporter saw Israeli troops operating near the border in armored trucks, with helicopters circling overhead, but could not confirm that ground forces had crossed into Lebanon.
Before Israel’s announcement of an incursion, U.S. officials said Monday that Israel had described launching small ground raids inside Lebanon as part of preparation for a larger operation.
Neither the Lebanese army nor UNIFIL, the United Nations peacekeeping force that patrols southern Lebanon, has confirmed the entry of Israeli forces. UNIFIL stated that any such cross-border operation would constitute “ a dangerous development » and a violation of Lebanese sovereignty.
In his first statement since Israel announced the start of ground operations, Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Afif rejected what he called “false allegations” about an Israeli incursion. He said Hezbollah was ready for a “ direct confrontation with enemy forces that dare or attempt to enter Lebanon ”..
Lebanon supports ceasefire
Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Monday his country was ready to deploy the army to support the resolution in the event of a ceasefire. The Lebanese armed forces would not be able to impose a deal on the much more powerful Hezbollah.
Military statements indicate that Israel may focus its ground operation on the narrow strip along the border, rather than launching a broader invasion aimed at destroying Hezbollah, as it did in Gaza against Palestinian Hamas.
Hezbollah and Hamas are close allies backed by Iran, and each escalation over the past year has sparked fears of a broader war in the Middle East, which could involve Iran and the United States. United.
who dispatched military assets to the region in support of Israel.
The incursion follows weeks of heavy blows by Israel against Hezbollah – including an airstrike that killed its longtime leader, Mr Nasrallah – and aims to step up pressure on the group. The duration of the operation was not specified.
ADVERTISEMENTAccording to the health ministry, more than 1,000 people have been killed in Lebanon by Israeli strikes in the past two weeks, almost a quarter of them women and children. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled their homes.
The well-trained Shiite militia
Hezbollah is a well-trained militia, believed to have tens of thousands of fighters and an arsenal of 150,000 rockets and missiles. The Israeli military was accused of lying to the media in 2021, and issued a statement implying that ground troops had entered the Gaza Strip.
The army called the incident a misunderstanding, but informed military commentators in Israel said it was a ruse to lure Hamas into battle.
Israeli artillery units pounded targets in southern Lebanon throughout the night and the sounds of airstrikes were heard throughout Beirut. The Israeli military official said Hezbollah launched rockets into central Israel, setting off air raid sirens and injuring a man in his 50s.
ADVERTISEMENTHezbollah said it fired salvos from a new type of medium-range missile, called Fadi 4, at the headquarters of two Israeli intelligence agencies near Tel Aviv. Afif, the Hezbollah spokesman, said the missile attack “does notis just the beginning “.
The Israeli military official said Hezbollah also launched projectiles at Israeli communities near the border, targeting soldiers without harming anyone.
Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel shortly after the Hamas attack in Israel on October 7 sparked the Gaza war.
