The Israeli army chief raised the possibility of a ground operation in Lebanon on Wednesday as Hezbollah launched a missile targeting the Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv.
Addressing troops on the northern border, Israeli army chief Herzi Halevi said the latest Israeli airstrikes were aimed at “to prepare the ground for your eventual entry and to continue to strike Hezbollah.”
In a reference to the missile targeting the Mossad headquarters near Tel Aviv, he added: “Today, Hezbollah has widened its range of fire and later today it will receive a very strong response. Prepare yourselves.”
To achieve the goal of returning displaced citizens of northern Israel to their homes, “We are preparing the process of a maneuver”he concluded.
More than 50 people killed in Lebanon on Wednesday
Lebanon’s health minister said continued Israeli strikes on Wednesday had killed more than 50 people, bringing the toll over the past three days to 615 dead and more than 2,000 injured.
This week has been the deadliest in Lebanon since the deadly month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah in 2006. Faced with escalating tensions, the Israeli army announced that it would activate reserve troops.
Earlier in the day, Israeli military officials said they had intercepted a Hezbollah missile that targeted the Mossad headquarters.
The missile set off air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and across central Israel. No casualties or damage were reported. The military said it struck the site in southern Lebanon from which the missile was launched.
More than 90,000 displaced in Lebanon
Many people have flocked to Beirut and the coastal city of Sidon, sleeping in schools converted into shelters, as well as in cars, parks and along the beach. Some have sought to leave the country, causing a traffic jam at the border with Syria.
The United Nations said more than 90,000 people have been displaced by Israeli strikes on Lebanon over the past five days. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said Wednesday that a total of 200,000 people have been displaced in Lebanon since Hezbollah began firing rockets into northern Israel nearly a year ago, prompting Israeli retaliation.